Stereo Hearts
by Bitter November
Summary: Soul has everything going for him to woo Maka. Mood music, cheesy serenade, romantic gift, witch's death curse-say what!
1. Chapter 1

Soul lurked in the hallway, inconspicuously observing his meister. Maka was slumped on the couch, her expression a mix of disappointment and dejection. She had been like this for the past three days and the cause was no mystery. Her eighteenth birthday was coming up, and her mother had promised to show up. Maka had been giddy with excitement for a month. After nearly five years, she was finally going to see her mother!

Not.

Spirit had been the one to break the news. In her last report to Shinigami-sama, Kami had told him she wouldn't be able to make it for Maka's birthday. Soul could still picture the frozen look on her face at her father's words. Color had drained from her skin, and with only a whispered, "Oh, that's too bad", she had walked stiffly from the room. She hadn't wanted to talk about it and after asking if she was alright, Soul hadn't pressed her. He, on the other hand, was pissed. It was bad enough the woman had avoided her daughter for years, but to get Maka's hopes up like that and then crush them was inexcusable. Maka's mother hadn't even had the decency to tell her herself, not a phone call, letter or text. Not even one of her usual crappy postcards.

So now, here he was, with a mopey meister. Well, that wasn't quite accurate. Maka only moped when she thought no one was looking. When people were around, she tried to appear normal, although her weak smile fooled no one. Soul could have handled it if she had been pissed off, yelled and screamed about it, thrown a little fit. He could have handled tears, even though he hated to see her cry. Either reaction would have been justified in his opinion. But this sad ghost of his partner who went through the motions of going to school and fixing his dinner and even remembering to pick up some replacement guitar strings without being asked was almost enough to break his heart.

Soul took a deep breath and walked into the living room. He wasn't sure how he could make her feel better, but he had to try. She didn't notice his presence until he was about two feet from the couch. Maka jumped almost guiltily, before rearranging her features into that damned fake smile that he was coming to hate.

"Hey, Soul. What's up?"

"Nothin', just wanted to see if you wanted to do something, or...something."

He scratched the back of his head, inwardly kicking himself. He really should have planned this better. Or at all.

"No thanks, I'm just going to finish reading this book. I'm at a good part."

Sure she was. That's why she'd been reading the same damn page of the same damn book for three days, because it was such a literary masterpiece. Maka, taking more than a day to finish a book was about as natural as Spirit devoting his life to celibacy.

"Okaaaay, I'll just hang out in here then. If that's alright with you?"

"Yeah? You don't have to ask, it's your living room too, you know." she said with slight confusion, going back to pretending to read afterwards.

Soul sighed, going over to fiddle with the radio in the corner. He kept trying to come up with something to say, discarding one conversational gambit after another. This shouldn't be so hard, dammit! This was one of those times where he wished he'd been partnered with a guy. Then the solution would be clear; tell him to fucking get over it already, and if that didn't work, punch him. Problem solved. This approach did not work with females. They would snivel and cry. Normal females, of course. But Maka and the other girls in Spartoi were horses of another color, more kick-ass and take-no-shit, less weepy damsel. Still, the female of the human species were mysterious creatures, and one wrong exhalation could result in his balls snuggling up with his Adam's apple. Maka would chop him to hell and back, lecturing him loudly (and profanely) about his insensitivity. Then again, that was almost preferable to the current situation. When was the last time she'd Maka-Chopped him, anyways? Nearly a week. Unbelievable. He actually missed the abuse!

The opening of a song on the radio caught his attention. An idea quickly forming, he turned up the volume. Soul began to sing along, shuffling over to dance in the middle of the room. This was embarrassing. If anyone were to see him, he'd be losing major cool points. But if it got her to smile...he plastered on a smile and sang louder.

_My heart's a stereo_

_It beats for you, so listen close._

_Hear my thoughts in every no-o-ote_

_Make me your radio_

_And turn me up when you feel low_

_This melody was meant for you_

_So sing along to my radio._

It was starting to work. Maka's eyes kept flickering from her book to him, the corner of her lip beginning to twitch. Maybe if he hammed it up a little more...he kept singing, but broke out into breakdancing moves for the verse to go along with the rapping.

_If I was just another dusty record on the shelf_

_Would you blow me off and play me like_

_Everybody else?_

_If I ask you to scratch my back, could you_

_Manage that?_

(Soul squatted and rubbed his back against the arm of the couch like a bear would a tree, causing Maka to giggle.)

_If I could only find a note to make you_

_Understand_

_I'd sing it softly in your ear and grab you by the_

_Hand_

(Soul grabbed Maka by the hand and pulled her to her feet, causing her to squawk like an indignant chicken.)

_Keep me stuck inside your head, like your_

_Favorite tune_

_And know my heart is like a stereo that only plays_

_For you_

As the song went into the chorus, Soul began to spin Maka around, placing his hands on her hips as he guided her in a dance. Her face was flushed and she was laughing, making the grin on Soul's face stretch wider. Maka was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself. It was almost impossible to get her weapon to dance, so when he had started, she had momentarily thought it might be a sudden onset of Tourette's. She had been happy enough to sit and watch, but then he had pulled her from the couch, forcing her to join him. Quickly finding a rhythm, she matched her movements to his.

_I think I finally found a note to make you_

_Understand_

_If you can hear this, sing along and take me by_

_The hands_

_Keep me stuck inside your head, like your_

_Favorite tune_

_And know my hearts a stereo that only plays_

_For you_

Maka's blush deepened when Soul entwined their fingers as they continued to dance, their bodies brushing softly against each other.

Soul slid behind Maka, continuing to sway gently with his arm wrapped across her stomach, her hand in his.

_I only pray you'll never leave me behind_

_Because good music can be so hard to find_

_I'll take your hand and hold it closet to mine_

_Thought love was dead, but now you're_

_Changing my mind_

Maka's heart sped up at the feel of his breath against her ear as he sang. Their movement in the hanging mirror caught her eye, and she saw that Soul was no longer wearing his goofy grin as he sang this verse. His eyes seemed to be closed in concentration as he pressed himself to her, a serious look on his face making her focus intently on the lyrics. A warm feeling spread throughout her body. Soul was being, dare she hope, almost romantic? She wouldn't complain if that was the case. That would be the best birthday present ever, screw her mom. Her eyes widened. She hadn't even been thinking of her mother these past few minutes. He had been trying to distract her, in his own weird way. His own, incredibly sweet, weird way. Suddenly her mother's absence ceased to matter. She had Soul. Everything would be fine.

_My heart's a stereo_

_It beats for you, so listen close_

_Hear my thoughts in every no-o-ote_

_Make me your radio_

_And turn me up when you feel low_

_This melody was meant for you_

_So sing along to my stereo_

_So sing along to my stereo_

The song ended, and they slowly pulled away from each other. Soul wasn't sure what to do next. She seemed happy while they were dancing, laughing loudly as he twirled and dipped her. Would she go back to being gloomy now that the song was over?

He needn't have worried. She spun to face him, and he was relieved to see that the smile spread over her face was genuine, the first real one in days.

"Thanks Soul! I needed that. I feel a lot better now, so I'm going to call the girls and take them up on their offer."

Soul felt his shoulders slump slightly. All that work and she was leaving him?

"Where you goin'?"

Maka smiled deviously as she dialed.

"Retail therapy. Papa gave me his card and said I could go crazy. Wanna come with us? We'll be trying on dresses, and shoes, and-"

Soul backed away in alarm, waving his arms furiously.

"No! No, it sounds like a girl's day out, no males needed. I'll just stay here and chill."

Maka rolled her eyes as she finished her call, amused at her weapon's obvious fear at the thought of traipsing around clothing stores with a pack of girls. Honestly, he acted like his dick would shrivel and fall off if he showed the least bit of interest in shopping. Oh well. It was fine with her. This way not only could she tell the girls what he had done for her, but she could pick out the outfit she would wear at her party without him seeing. She wanted it to be a surprise; she was looking for something that would throw his hormones into overdrive. She had been indecisive about whether or not to make a move on him, but after today...she hadn't realized that she found sweet to be incredibly sexy. And Soul had been very, very sweet.

Soul watched her flying around to get ready, dashing from her room to the bathroom and back again. She exchanged her shorts and T-shirt for a short, flippy pink skirt and a white lacy camisole that made his eyes bug out. What had been mildly interesting in a B cup had him drooling now that they were C's. Oh, what a difference a size could make...his fantasies were cut off before they could get too lecherous by Maka calling out to him as she flew out the door.

"Soul, hide the laptop while I'm gone! I swear, if Blair downloads any more porn onto that thing, I'm going to skin her alive, repeatedly!"

She was gone before he could answer, so he just went into the kitchen to retrieve the sexually abused computer from the table. He would keep it confiscated until Maka got home, but then the cat was her problem. He stopped in the doorway, staring thoughtfully at the laptop, an idea starting to form. He already had a present for her, one he was extremely nervous about giving her as it implied he might like to advance their relationship. Which he would. He just had to go about it carefully, like pirouetting through a minefield. If it worked, it would be worth it. If it didn't...he wouldn't think of it. But the computer gave him an idea for something else, something that would score him major brownie points. His eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a scowl.

It was time to have a little chat with Spirit.

XXXXX

Maka had spent the last few hours in a flurry of dresses and shoes. The Thompson sisters and Tsubaki, initially pleased at her brightened outlook, became positively ecstatic when she had related what had occurred in the living room with Soul. They were now determined to find an outfit so stunning it would, as Liz put it, "Have him drooling so much he'll have to hang a bucket around his neck".

It was taking forever.

Each dress somehow fell short. Too long. Too short. Too shiny. Too drab. Too something.

It was hard to find the delicate balance between sexy and streetwalker. A dress that said, 'I want you to jump my bones', and not, 'I want anyone to jump my bones'. Patty was the one to finally find the winner, an emerald colored number with a golden sheen to it. From the front, it looked fairly conservative, with a wide halter neck that hugged the breasts without exposing them, skimming the waist to flare into a short tiered skirt. But the back was different. There was no back; just the thin strap at the neck, and then nothing until just before the top curve of her ass. Liz added the final touch; thin, burnished gold colored sandals with ribbons that crisscrossed from ankle to knee, emphasizing her long, slender legs. It had been discovered that though Soul enjoyed boobs like most males, his weakness was legs and Liz was determined to capitalize on that.

Pleased to have found the perfect outfit, Maka was ready to call it a day when a hand came down on her shoulder and squeezed. Maka looked up to find Tsubaki, smiling at her in a disturbing way.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Maka-chan?"

"Nooo", she replied nervously, "I got the dress and shoes, that's all I needed."

"Now, you know that an outfit needs more than that."

"I have some emerald earrings to wear with it, which should be enough."

"No. Patty found the dress and Liz chose the shoes, but I shall make the most important contribution of all!"

Maka wasn't sure she liked where this was going.

"And that would be?"

"Lingerie. Sexy lingerie", said Tsubaki sweetly, with an innocent smile that made you think of kittens and rainbows, when you should really be thinking of leather and handcuffs.

"I don't think that's necessary, but thanks anyway. It's not like we'll definitely be doing it that night; I'm not even sure that he feels the same way."

The hand on her shoulder tightened its grip, crushing any thoughts of escape, and the smile became threatening.

"Let's not kid ourselves, shall we? With that dress, he'll be mentally humping you like a dog, and when he gets you alone..." she broke off, going all starry eyed, "You'll give him the precious gift of your virginity and make wild, passionate love until dawn!"

Maka's face resembled the setting sun as she squealed, "Tsubaki! Don't say such things in public! And it's my birthday, why does he get the gift?"

"It would be mutual, wouldn't it? Besides, the best gifts are the ones that can be shared! Now that that's settled, let's find something that will drive him bananas!"

Tsubaki began to drag her down the hall in the direction of the lingerie store. Maka shot Liz and Patty, who had just returned from the cash register, a pleading look. They shrugged in unison, wearing matching evil grins.

"She's right, we have to make it a night to remember", snickered Liz.

"Yeah! Gotta get you all prettified so you can smex Soul up!"

As her body slid along the floor, she contemplated her inevitable doom. 'When did this become Mission Get Maka Laid?' she thought mournfully. Although, remembering how it felt today, his hands gliding over her skin with their bodies briefly rubbing together, maybe getting Soul between the sheets wouldn't be as impossible as she feared. It's not like she didn't want it; she had accepted her desire for her partner ages ago. It was just taking that last step that had Maka shaking in her kick-ass combat boots. But the look on his face that she'd glimpsed in the mirror as he sang, the way he had held her...maybe, just maybe, she had a chance.

"Maka? Did you hear me? I asked you how you felt about crotchless panties."

Maybe she had a chance, if she could survive Trial by Tsubaki.

XXXXX

It was dusk when Maka finally made it back home, and Soul watched in fascination as she dragged herself through the doorway, with disheveled hair and shell-shocked eyes. She had a clothes bag over her shoulder, and frou-frou looking bags on each arm. Catching his questioning look, she groaned, "I will never, ever say that Tsubaki is too sweet to be going out with Black*Star ever again. She's a demon, a demon I tell you!"

"What the hell happened?"

"No, the wounds are too fresh. I may never be able to speak of it. At least, not without some really intensive therapy. Now, I'm going to go put this stuff up and take a shower, and try to forget that the last six hours ever happened. See you in the morning."

"You need me to help you with any of that?" he gestured to bags, but Maka clutched them to her, as best as she could.

"No! No, I've got it! I can take care of these by myself, thank you, so just move along, there's nothing here of any interest! Nothing at all!"

She scuttled down the hall to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Soul stared after her for a moment and then headed for his own room, glad she had been too preoccupied to ask him what he had done today. His mission had been a success, and he was quite pleased with himself. If things kept going this well, he might actually accomplish his dream of snaring the elusive Maka Albarn.

XXXXX

The next two weeks passed in a blur of school and minor missions, leaving little time for much romantic advancement. Soul did the best he could; performing small, simple gestures and gradually increasing their frequency. He started by getting her comfortable with him in her personal space, standing and sitting closer than he normally would. Once he felt she was comfortable, he picked up the pace, sliding his arm behind her shoulders when they were sitting, casually holding her hand when standing or walking. He was pleasantly surprised when she not only seemed to accept his advances, but appeared to reciprocate them as well. When he had first tried putting his arm around her, during a movie in their apartment (cringing at the cliché the whole time, but the old standby was all he could come up with. At least he hadn't pretended to yawn first.), he had braced himself for a Maka-Chop, or at least a 'wtf?' look. But she had just stiffened for a heart stopping millisecond and soon leaned into his side. Holding hands was a bit easier, since she was used to that from resonating. He used that to his advantage, simply by keeping ahold of her hand at the end of their daily training.

She only seemed nervous when he started doing it in public, as if waiting for their friends to make some kind of remark. Soul had solved that problem beforehand; he had gone to each of their friends and explained, politely and calmly, that if they embarrassed Maka in any way, he would go black blood level postal on their asses. He made sure to smile extra wide while saying this, showing off his preternaturally sharp teeth.

The teeth always worked.

He shouldn't have worried so much. The girls swooned in vicarious joy for their friend and promised to keep quiet, and Kid, aside from his OCD, knew how to behave. That left him with Black*Star. Who, instead of clowning around, proceeded to grill Soul about his intentions like the closet big brother he was. Soul's answers seemed to appease him, though he was left with the distinct impression that should he ever do wrong to Maka, that Black*Star would not hesitate to use Tsubaki to slice him into sashimi. Which was fine with him. Hurting Maka was the same as hurting himself, and since he didn't expect to ever reach that particular level of masochism, they should be alright.

Soul knew definite progress had been made, however, when she stopped merely accepting his advances and began to instigate them herself. Now, if he didn't have his arm around her while they were sitting for more than a few minutes, she would grab it and pull it over her shoulders, cuddling into his side. And as often as not, when he reached for her hand, it was now met halfway by hers.

So he should be feeling good about now, instead of pacing his room like a basket case. But now it was time to implement the next stage of his plan, and he had a case of the jitters the likes of which he'd never had before. This phase involved...jewelry. Not a ring! No, that was several more years into his game plan. His long term goal, if you would. This was setting the stage, a precursor of things to (hopefully) come. Still, it was a significant step, one that couldn't be interpreted as anything less than an offering of an exclusive, committed relationship. He had originally planned to do this the night of her party, but excitement coupled with dread at her possible refusal changed his mind. Being shot down publicly was more than his fragile, if extremely well-disguised, ego could take. If Maka turned him down he knew, despite his best efforts, there would be tears, and that would be so uncool.

'Hell, who am I kidding? If that happens I'm gonna bawl like a fat girl on prom night.'

He tried to calm down, telling himself that nothing much was riding on this. Just his friendship, happiness, and entire future. And the possibility of kissing a sweet, sweet goodbye to his virginity. He smacked his head at that last thought. Bad Soul, bad! This wasn't the time to be thinking of that. He had been trying to avoid such thoughts, but they were as nefarious as cockroaches and twice as hard to kill. And, like cockroaches, in the light of day they weren't so bad but once the lights went out, they sprang forth in overwhelming multitudes, leaving him to...ahem, *handle* his problem as best he could.

Soul shook his head, not wanting to go down that particular trail right then. If all went well, he'd have plenty of time for that. He'd make damn sure.

He glanced down at the box in his hand, ran his other hand through his hair, and stepped out of his room, proceeding to saunter into the living room with a studied nonchalance that Soul didn't feel. She hadn't come in yet. Good. They had planned to watch a movie at eight (oh shit, was Kid rubbing off on them?) and he was about five minutes early. He sat at one end of the couch, sliding the flat black box between the cushion and the armrest, arranging himself in a position that invited her to press her body against his, hopefully with her delicious little tits rubbing up agai- no!

Cockroach thought!

Squash it!

There. He was cool again.

He settled in, and waited for his prey to make her appearance.

XXXXX

Maka stood in front of the mirror, eying herself critically and feeling ridiculous for doing so. It was just a movie, for Death's sake, and she was acting like it was some kind of date! Still, she supposed she really couldn't blame herself. These past few weeks, Soul had become increasingly affectionate, so who could blame Maka if she was reading more into this than she usually would? She had been surprised by his advances at first, but after the initial shock had worn off, she found herself actively seeking out these moments of intimacy, these gestures that conveyed feelings that she hadn't the courage to put into words.

She shook herself out of her reverie, as she only had a few minutes before she needed to be in the living room. Maka was having second thoughts about her wardrobe choice, wondering if it wasn't perhaps a bit too daring. She was wearing a thin, pale green camisole without a bra, and a pair of slightly darker green short shorts that hugged her butt, only coming an inch farther past the cheeks. Her hair was left loose, mainly because Soul had developed a habit of playing with it, so it wouldn't have stayed in its pigtails anyway. Biting her lips nervously, she debated changing into something more modest, even taking a couple of steps in the direction of her dresser, when she stopped. Why shouldn't Maka show a little skin? Was there anything really wrong with giving him the hint that she was interested?

This was a chance to gauge his reaction to her body before the night of her party, to see if that dress was going to have any effect or not. She veered off from the path to the dresser, instead heading out into the hallway before Maka's courage could fail her. Her momentum carried her halfway into the living room, where she stopped; finding Soul already sprawled on the couch, in a pair of striped blue boxers and a navy T-shirt. Oh good. She wasn't overdressed. And he was looking positively yummy. She ogled him for a bit, quickly snapping out of it when he looked up, finally noticing her presence. She tried to appear confident as she walked to the couch, an extra sway to her hips as she watched him closely for any sign of approval.

XXXXX

Soul looked up to see Maka standing in the middle of the living room. Several things caught his attention, the first being the incredible amount of skin on display, a rare treat for him. The second thing he noticed, when she began to walk over to him, was her chest.

'HOT DAMN! FREE RANGE BOOBS! THEY WIGGLE AND JIGGLE, A LITTLE BOUNCE IN EVERY OUNCE!'

He tried to keep his poker face in place, but his eyes wandered down to her swaying hips, drawing his attention to her long, toned legs; legs that could be utilized in a variety of interesting positions, the most tantalizing having them wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her tigh-no!

Cockroach thought!

Bad Soul!

Kill it!

There. He was in control again, coolness restored.

"Hey. You ready to start the movie?"

XXXXX

Maka smiled. Oh, he was good. She almost missed it. When he had first looked at her, there had been a widening of the eyes and a slight flaring of the nostrils. It had been nothing major, but enough that she felt she could confidently say that her breast size was no longer an issue. It was when his gaze had traveled south, however, that got the most telling reaction. Jaw muscles tightening, hands clenching, he had shifted almost as if he was uncomfortable, letting out a tiny whimper she wasn't sure he was even aware of and one she wouldn't have noticed herself if she hadn't been so intently focused on him. All in all, Maka was satisfied that lust would not be a problem; now all she had to do was confirm that there was love, and she could proceed to give herself the gift of hot, steamy, Soul-flavored birthday sex with no reservations whatsoever.

"Sure. You want anything to snack on, before I start it?"

'Why, yes, if you'll just prop your foot up on the armrest, I'd be more than happy to nibble from your ankle on up to your-'

Aaarrrggh!

Cockroach!

Flamethrower!

"I don't care. I'll have something if you are, otherwise just a drink's fine."

"Hold on and I'll grab some things then."

He watched as she walked into the kitchen, eyes tracking the movement of her hips; left, right, left. Soul's fingers dug into the couch cushion as he fought to regain some control on his AWOL hormones. Tonight was supposed to be special, an important step in the direction of a romantic relationship, not about getting laid. Tonight was not about sex.

Tonight was not about sex.

Tonight.

Was.

NOT.

About.

Sex.

He would control his urges and be a perfect fucking gentleman! No matter how easy it would be to tug those sorry excuses for shorts off her hips, to see first-hand if her ass was as fine close up as it looked from a distance. Soul rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes, steeling himself for the upcoming temptation.

'Let's face it. If she showed any sign of giving the green light, I'd break the fucking land speed record getting her to a bed, no matter how pure my intentions originally were. If she had just worn her nice, safe, regular pajamas I might've had a chance, but now it's gonna take every ounce of willpower I've got not to jump her bones.'

She returned with her arms loaded with provisions, enough to last them through several movies by the looks of it. She handed him a large glass of ice cold coke from her left hand, setting down its twin on the coffee table with her right. Under her arms were a package of Oreos, two tubes of Pringles, a bag of spicy Doritos, and something he couldn't quite make out.

"Hey, watcha got there?"

Maka beamed triumphantly, waving the large box under his nose so he could read the words on the sides. They were Slim Jim's, his favorite movie snack, one that he rarely got to have because the stores were always sold out of them for some inexplicable reason. His eyes misted over, and drool trickled out of the corner of his mouth before he quickly slurped it up.

"You. Are a goddess!" he cooed, watching the box greedily.

"Don't tell Black*Star. He'd be devastated that I reached his goal before him". She snickered, setting the box down to go stick in the DVD. Soul scooted the jerky closer to his side of the table, already tasting that lovely flavor of processed meat. She really was the coolest partner ever. So cool, he'd even let her have a stick all to herself.

Well, maybe half of one.

Or a bite of his.

Perhaps he'd just let her taste it on his lips when he gave her a goodnight kiss. Yeah, that last one sounded like the best option.

Maka popped open the case and slid the movie into the DVD player, then joined Soul on the couch. She teasingly reached for the jerky, giggling when he tensed up and whined. She grabbed a tube of Pringles instead, and he relaxed with a sigh.

Once they had their fill of snacks, Maka snuggled up against Soul, burrowing under his arm. He ran his fingers through her hair to her shoulder, playing with the strap of her top and trying not to think how easy it would be to slice through it with a transformed finger. They sat this way throughout the movie; lightly stroking the others exposed skin wherever they felt they could get away with it. If asked later, neither one could tell you what the plot of the movie was.

Soul had been relaxed, but as the credits began to roll, his earlier nervousness returned. Maka sat up and stretched, picking up the remote to shut off the T.V.

He took a gulp of his drink to ease the dryness in his throat. This was it; the time had come to make his move.

"Maka? Can you stay here a minute?"

Maka looked at him, hearing a note of strain in his voice.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I know it's still a few weeks till your birthday, but I got you something and I'd like to go ahead and give it to you now, okay?"

Maka bounced up and down on the couch. "Like I'd actually turn down a chance at an early gift! What is it?"

He smiled at the way she acted like an excited five year old, but really wished she would stop bouncing. It was...distracting. He fumbled around in the crack of the couch, heart almost stopping when he couldn't lay hand on the box. He finally found it, it having slipped deeper during the movie. He pulled it out and handed it to her, blushing madly.

She took the flat black box and opened it, curious as to what it could be. She nearly gasped when she saw what was inside; it was absolutely beautiful. Lying on a cushion of black silk was a necklace. It was a white gold, snake linked chain, with five charm beads. Three of the beads were spacers, with different cuts of filigree and tiny gems. The two other charms were slightly larger, and obviously custom made. One was a miniature replica of Soul in scythe form, with a small garnet for the eye. The other charm was a musical note, with a diamond making up the base. They were exquisitely crafted, and each individually would have made a lovely pendant. But put together, they screamed Soul, symbolizing him perfectly. Maka recognized this as a deeply personal gift. This wasn't a piece of jewelry you gave just anyone; it was a gift meant to be given from one lover to another. In effect, Soul had handed her his heart in a box, and it was now up to her how this would play out.

Soul was trying his best not to fidget. He really was. But she was just sitting there staring at the necklace, her hair hiding her expression. He was about to start babbling, most likely saying something incredibly stupid and uncool in the process, when she moved. Silently, she handed him the box, her hair covering her eyes. His heart dropped. This was what he had feared the most; rejection. Like a fool, he'd gone after a legendary Pokémon with a regular pokeball, and now it was about to flee, running off into the tall grass, out of his reach forever. He took the box with a hand heavy as lead, mind scrambling for ways to minimize the damage, when she spoke.

Turning her back halfway to him and lifting her hair from her neck, she said softly, "Could you put it on for me?"

Soul nearly melted with relief. Saved from the icy clutches of rejection! He would do his touchdown dance later in the privacy of his room. He lifted the necklace from the box, and undid the clasp, fingers fumbling from the unaccustomed action. He gently laid it around her neck, noticing the goose bumps rising on her skin as he rejoined the clasp. When he was finished, Maka turned to face him, and the look on her face left him breathless. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes were sparkling as she looked at him with a soft, loving expression he had never seen her wear before. He committed it to memory, never wanting to forget her as she was now, lit up as brightly as only a woman in love could be. And knowing Maka as he did, Soul knew it was the meaning behind the necklace rather than the necklace itself that made her look like that.

"So, does that mean you like it?"

"I love it! This is the best present I've ever been given. Thank you, so much."

Soul was surprised when she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, her hands going up to rest on his shoulders. It was nice, but he wanted to leave her with no doubts about his feelings. He slid his hand to the back of her head, angling it to the side. Soul brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, slow and unhurried, passionate but not lustful. He wanted to use tongue, but wasn't sure if he could control himself from moving too fast if he did. Maka took that decision from him when she somehow found her way onto his lap, straddling him. He was distracted from the kiss as he slid his arms around her waist to draw her closer.

And that's when her tongue flicked out of her mouth to brush between his lips.

Soul groaned low in the back of his throat at the feel of her velvety soft appendage working its way into his mouth, his own darting to join hers without consent. Their kissing grew more intense as they began to grind against each other, hands stroking greedily over heated flesh. Soul wasn't sure any more if he could keep himself under control and it was with feelings of mixed relief and frustration that he heard the phone ring.

They broke apart reluctantly, unwilling for the make out session to end.

"Damn."

Maka growled, a small scowl on her face. Soul shifted under her, half thankful for this interruption that was keeping him from banging her right there on the couch, even if this meant he'd be flying solo in his room later. But not too much later. Soul Jr. didn't like to be ignored.

"You'd better answer it. Could be important."

She muttered under her breath as she stomped to the phone, answering it curtly.

Soul didn't pay too much attention to the conversation, too busy considering whether to go back to their snog fest on the couch, or do the gentlemanly thing and go to bed. Alone. He still hadn't come to a decision when Maka returned, no longer looking quite as upset as she had been.

"That was Shinigami-sama. We're supposed to come in for a mission in the morning, at seven thirty."

He quirked a brow.

"Not at eight?" he said snarkily.

Maka chuckled.

"I know, it's gonna give Kid a fit. I guess we should go ahead and get some sleep."

Soul stood and stretched his arms over his head, feeling smug at the regretful tone of her voice. He kissed her on the corner of her mouth, careful not to start anything.

"Let's try to wrap this mission up fast tomorrow, okay? I don't want it to take all day."

"It shouldn't take too long with all of us on the job. Unless Black*Star decides to do something spectacularly stupid."

"That settles it; tomorrow is officially screwed."

They had made it to the doors of their rooms as they talked, and Maka hesitated as she went through her door.

"Goodnight, Soul, and thanks again for the present. I'll always wear it."

He couldn't resist kissing her again. "It looks good on you. Like it belongs with you."

"It belongs. It belongs like nothing else ever could."

As they went into their separate rooms, both knew that they hadn't been talking about the necklace.

There was no time for awkwardness the next morning. Both had been so keyed up the night before that it had taken them hours to fall asleep, causing them to sleep in longer than they should. In a flurry of jackets, headbands, pigtail holders and pop tarts, they flew out of the apartment. They were lucky they had a motorcycle; they made it with minutes to spare before Kid detonated. After all, if the meeting couldn't be at eight, then they could be there at precisely seven thirty, dammit! Asymmetrical gaaaaaarrrbaaaaage! At least, that's what they thought they heard him shouting about as they came up the steps; with Patty's foot in his mouth, they had to make an educated guess.

Soul slouched over to sit up against the wall by Black*Star, shortly followed by a gagging Kid. Black*Star laughed as the Shinigami twitched and shook, brushing dirt from his suit while muttering about heartless, chaos loving weapons. Soul ignored them both in favor of watching his meister, who was surrounded by her squealing friends. Like sharks attracted to blood, they had homed in on the new bling around Maka's neck, firing off questions like a trio of machine guns. Soul felt his lips twitch in a satisfied smile at the radiant look on Maka's face as she dished the dirt. He noticed how her fingers already played absently with the charms, as if she had been wearing it for years instead of hours. Ah. It looked like Tsubaki asked something perverted, if Maka's squeak of indignation and rapidly flushing cheeks were any indication. He wasn't the only one watching the show, as he was made aware when Black*Star elbowed him in the ribs roughly, earning a grunt and a glare.

"Dude. Finally grew some balls and gave it to her?"

Kid looked up from his hissy fit and took note of his surroundings.

"I see she's wearing it, so I assume all went well?"

"Whoa, wait, wearin' what?"

Kid and Soul stared at the confused looking ninja. What did he mean? He had known almost from the beginning what Soul had planned. Not that that had been Soul's intention. But if his perverted thoughts were sneaky and cockroach-like, then Black*Star was their physical manifestation. Quick to insinuate himself where he wasn't wanted, he had an unerring knack for worming out information that you wished he hadn't. With these information gathering skills, you'd think he'd be a much better assassin, but he chose to use his power for evil and the humiliation of his friends instead. The question was, why was he now acting like all this was news to him?

"I gave her the necklace. What were you talking about?"

Black*Star looked blank for a few beats.

"I thought you gave it to her. You know, gave it to her!"

He made accompanying hand gestures that had both Soul and Kid trying to block him from view of the girls; they had an upcoming mission after all, they didn't need it to start with the fool's head cracked open on the Academy stairs.

"Hell no! We didn't do anything like that! Get your mind out of the gutter; I wasn't going to bone her on the first night!"

Black*Star narrowed his eyes at him intently.

"I wondered why you both still felt like virgins. Though it looks like it was a pretty near thing, huh?"

"How the fuck do you know something like that?" asked Soul. By all that was holy, he really was like a cockroach! Maybe he had been scrambling around in their apartment unaware this whole time!

"Kid an' Maka got Soul Perception, but the great god Black*Star has Sex Perception!" he stated proudly, a smug smirk on his face.

"I don't believe it," said Kid in a flat voice. "That was just a lucky shot."

"Really?" he eyed the other boy up and down in a knowing manner.

"~I know something about you!~" he sang, causing Kid to pale and rapidly change the subject.

"T-that doesn't matter right now! Anyway, of course Soul didn't pursue his advances. He was trying to be romantic, something you wouldn't recognize if it strolled up and bitch slapped you."

This made Black*Star clench his fists, face purple with rage.

"I do too know how to do that romance crap! I'll prove it, just you wait!"

Thankfully, things didn't get a chance to escalate, since right then the clock chimed the half hour, signaling it was time to go in for their meeting. Joining their partners, they headed into the building in the direction of the Death Room.

And if Maka and Soul walked a little closer together, with his arm around her waist, no one chose to comment on the fact.

XXXXX

Soul sat on the floor of the hallway, head in his hands. His friends were with him, but they were only background noise, buzzing white fuzz that held no meaning. Inside the door to his left, lay his meister, still unconscious. Stein was looking her over, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Why had she been the one the witch had focused on? Why her? He kept replaying the scene, over and over again; it still didn't make sense.

Their target from Lord Death had been a mid-level witch, one that should have posed little threat to three meisters and their weapons. The plan had been to take her out quickly, no muss, no fuss, and 'Hey, wanna stop for pizza on the way home?' Maybe that had been their problem, thinking it would be easy, letting their guard down. After all, she hadn't looked too imposing, barely older than they were themselves, dressed in a Lolita fashion with shades of pink. She hadn't even bothered with Soul Protect, meeting them head on as if she relished the thought of fighting them. She had been so cocky...but then, so had they.

"Brats from Shibusen, eh? And what's this, three meisters? Afraid one couldn't do the job?" she scoffed from her perch atop a floating, pink...swan? Yes, a swan. Not exactly your standard witches familiar, unless you remembered that a swan can break a man's leg with its wings...and those bastards have mean bites.

"The great Black*Star needs no help, but he lets his faithful minions tag along to bask in his glory!"

"Big words from a little man. The question is, can you straight laced little sheep fight the glorious madness of my magic? You cannot hope to fight what you cannot understand!"

Maka laughed as she dropped into a battle stance, angling Soul to cover any openings. "We don't understand madness? Lady, we're Spartoi; we're the fucking Baskin Robbins of madness!"

The witch tilted her head in confusion.

"Baskin Robbins?"

"We come in thirty one flavors of crazy!"

Kid launched himself at Maka, shaking her by the shoulders. "THIRTY EIGHT! IT SHOULD BE THIRTY EEEEEEEIIIIIGHT FLAVORS DAMN IT! "

His weapons pulled him off, though he continued to froth at the mouth with a crazy look in his eyes. Maka and the witch both sweat dropped, exchanging pained glances.

"Um, does he need to lie down or something? Maybe take some medication? Slip into a buckled white jacket?"

"I told you, Baskin Robbins."

"Enough of this shit. Let's fight!" roared Black*Star.

Having the attention span of a tsetse fly, he had decided he'd been quiet long enough. Shifting Tsubaki to shuriken mode, he leaped high into the air and launched Tsubaki at the off guard witch, who jerked to the side in time to save her neck, if not her hair. It sliced through the thick braid of pink hair like a knife through hot butter, leaving her with uneven, choppy chunks sticking out every which way. This, of course, enraged her.

"Damn you!" she howled, gathering energy in her hands, "I'll get you, you meisters, and your little weapons too!"

Maka rolled her eyes as she prepared to strike. "Did she really just say what I think she did?"

Black*Star took up a position next to her as Tsubaki shifted into a chain scythe.

"Yup. If I ever start spoutin' cheesy lines like that, shoot me, okay?"

"I can gladly arrange that." deadpanned Kid, coming up on the other side of Maka, seeming to have recovered from his earlier episode.

"Oh look. Mr. Eightball is functional again. Glad you could make it."

"Che."

"Enough. Let's get this over with before she finishes her chanting." Maka ordered, launching herself on top of the swan, swinging Soul in an arc that sliced a deep wound in the witch's ribs. The other two meisters joined in, wielding their weapons in sync with her, fluidly dancing in and out of each other's way, parrying and dodging the pink, feathered shaped bolts of energy the witch was slinging.

She was strong, but she was no match for the three of them, and it didn't take long before they had her worn down, broken and bleeding from wounds all over her body. She was all but almost dead already with Maka poised to make the last strike, intending to neatly lop off the witch's head, when the dying woman looked up at her, eyes full of pure hate and malice.

"Such a happy little girl, aren't you? I know why. I can taste it from here!" she croaked, barely managing to pull herself into a sitting position. "You may take my life, but I won't go to hell empty handed! Love Love Death Curse!"

At her final shout, a beam of her remaining life force shot out of her body, enveloping Maka in a sickish Pepto-Bismol pink light. Her body jerked straight, muscles taut and tight as Soul slipped from her grasp to clatter on the pavement. He transformed just in time to catch her as she fell, her eyes rolling back in her head.

"Maka? Hey, snap out of it! Wake up, damn it!"

Soul shook her a little, trying desperately to get her to wake up. It was useless. She was out like a light, and he could do nothing but hold her, tears gathering behind his eyes.

"DAMN YOU BITCH! YOU'RE DEAD!" Black*Star roared, rushing to get revenge for his friend. He was too late. She was already dead, body dissolving, her soul hovering in the air. Kid was on his cell phone, calling for Professor Stein. He shouted a few terse orders and joined the rest of his friends around Maka. Liz, Patty and Tsubaki were in their regular forms, watching their friend worriedly. Black*Star kept pacing up and down, hating the fact that outside of a fight he felt completely useless to help.

Soul hadn't moved from his kneeling position, gently cradling Maka, stroking her head as if soothing a child. He stayed like that until the school ambulance got there and placed her in the back himself, unwilling to let anyone else touch her. He glared at Stein, silently daring him to kick him out, but the older man said nothing, Stein merely took his seat on the other side of the gurney and motioned for the driver to go.

XXXXX

The door opened and Stein stepped out, shutting it behind him. Everyone crowded around, waiting for his prognosis.

"She seems to be fine. I can't find any indications of physical damage, and her wavelength is normal. I might find out what happened if I dissected her..." he smirked as he clicked the screw in his skull, noting with amusement the way they all tensed as if to attack. "But since that doesn't seem to be an option, we'll just have to wait till she wakes up to see. That shouldn't be too long. She was starting to show signs of coming to when I left. I'm going to call in Kim to see if she can shed any light on the subject. If you want to go in and wait, that's fine, but be quiet and send for me if anything changes."

Soul was through the door before he had even finished speaking, his friends hot on his heels. They were just in time to watch Maka's eyelids flutter before opening fully, as she let out a soft groan. They crowded around the bed, Tsubaki supporting her as she tried to sit up. Maka rubbed her temples, muttering, "Wow, I feel like I've been kicked by a mule! What happened, did we get her?"

"Are you feeling okay, Maka-chan? That witch hit you with something pretty powerful."

Maka finally looked up at them, smiling a little. "I'm alright, just a little dizzy. Please tell me Black*Star didn't do anything to me while I was out."

Kid stepped forward. "I took the liberty of confiscating his markers before we came in."

Black*Star glared. "I wouldn't have done that again, give me some credit! A god never pulls the same trick twice!"

"Thanks Kid. But no one's answered my question. Did we get her?"

"Yup! The wicked witch went all melty, ain't that right, Sis?"

"Blegh! Don't make me think of that, Patty! So disgusting!"

"Are you sure you're okay? You need me to get Stein?" asked Soul, not quite believing that they had gotten off so easily. Which, as it turned out, was a good thing. Because, you know, they kinda hadn't.

Maka focused her attention on him, smiling politely. "I'm sorry, but who are you? Are you new here?"

Necks swiveled in her direction as all eyes focused on her with that 'oh shit' look.

"Houston, we have a problem!" said Patty, summing it up quite nicely.

**-This was meant to be a one-shot, but it morphed totally out of my control to become a multi-chaptered fic. Hope you enjoy, and please review! It encourages me to write more, faster! Also, special thanks to GlitterGoat for editing.**


	2. Chapter 2

Soul felt bile rise up in his throat, his Strawberry Milkshake PopTarts from earlier this morning were about to make a second and very unwelcome appearance. All the air seemed to leave his body as the room spun around, his vision tunneling until all he could see was Maka's slightly confused smile as she waited for an answer with no hint of recognition whatsoever on her face. He felt like his world was unraveling, like everything good in his life was coming undone. Soul dimly became aware that his friends were questioning his meister, as if they were holding out hope that this was some bizarre joke. It was bizarre, alright, but it was no joke.

"I'm sorry, you guys, but I really don't know him. Should I?"

"Maka-chan," said Tsubaki quietly, "Soul is your weapon. He has been for years. Are you sure you don't remember him at all?"

Maka stared intently at the person at the side of her bed, who looked shell-shocked and full of despair. He was unusual looking, with snow white hair and garnet colored eyes, eyes that were dull at the moment but eyes that looked like they could sparkle with a wicked mischief. His mouth was slightly slack, exposing razor sharp teeth, unlike anything she had seen on a human. She strained for some memory, anything to identify the beleaguered boy with, but coming up empty.

"He can't be my weapon. I wouldn't have picked him." she said shakily, not sure.

Everyone gasped, and he flinched back, causing a pang of remorse to slice through her.

"What the hell, Maka!" barked Black*Star angrily.

She realized how that must have sounded and rushed to explain.

"Nothing personal! I just meant that I wouldn't have picked a guy to be my partner! I'd decided that before I even enrolled at Shibusen!"

The tension in the room eased fractionally.

"I'm going to go find Stein. Maybe he can figure out what's wrong now that she's awake." said Kid, sliding out of the room, breaking into a run. This was bad. If Maka didn't remember Soul and refused to partner with him, things could get tricky with the black blood.

It was silent back in the room as they waited for the doctor. The girls, thinking it would make Maka remember Soul, started to tell her about the newly developing relationship, necklace and all, but were loudly interrupted by Black*Star, who shot them warning looks while Maka wasn't looking. She tried to make small talk with Soul, but it fell flat.

"So, what kind of weapon are you?"

"Scythe."

"Really? That's awesome! My papa's a scythe too! He's Lord Death's weapon!" She bounced up and down excitedly, pleased at this coincidence.

"Yeah, I know" was his unenthusiastic response, which irritated her a little.

"Then you know he's a Deathscythe. I wanted to make one even stronger than him. How far along are we?"

He sighed. "You made me one a few years ago. Do you not remember being my meister at all?"

Maka was taken aback. She had a Deathscythe? Come to think of it, she did remember fighting, defeating kishin and collecting souls...but no matter how she tried, she couldn't picture the weapon that Maka knew she must have used countless times, no matter how much she searched her memory. Maka started to panic. What else was she forgetting? Was this memory loss permanent? Would it affect her in other ways? What if-

"Hey. It's gonna be okay. We'll get through this, 'kay? Just like we always do."

She looked up to find him smiling slightly, and found that the sight comforted her for some reason. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. And that thought scared her. She had promised herself she would never trust a man that much, never put herself in a position to get hurt. This was dangerous; she'd have to be careful. He must have sensed her unease, for he stepped away from her bed, his face settling back into a worried scowl as he watched the door.

XXXXX

They didn't have to wait long. Stein came in, Kid and Kim right behind him. He came to stand on the side opposite Soul, gazing down at Maka in his typical disturbing manner.

"I understand you're having some memory trouble? Specifically, you seem to have forgotten everything about your weapon, is that correct?"

Maka fiddled with the blankets, practically feeling the dotted line Stein was mentally drawing on her forehead, his hand twitching for a scalpel.

"Um, sort of. I remember fights, and things like school, where I know I must have been with him, but when I try to look directly at him, it's like a blur. Although in some cases, I think I'm missing entire chunks of time; I guess those must be from when we were alone. Other than that, I don't think I've forgotten anything."

"Hmm. Kim, would you have a look and see if you can tell what's wrong?"

The pink haired girl nodded and stepped forward, spreading her hands a few inches over Maka's body, closing her eyes in concentration. Suddenly, she jerked back with a surprised yelp.

"Holy crap!" she righted herself, her face pale, a hard look on her face. "This is a witch's death curse. It's a nasty spell that witches use as a last resort, since it takes up whatever life energy the caster has left. They're extremely powerful and I have no idea how to break one. I've only ever actually seen a few, since they're not that common. And this one seems pretty tame. I'm not sure why."

"Tame? I have a chunk of memories missing and you call that tame?" Maka growled.

"Since the kindest one I saw involved the victim exploding, then yes, I'd say it was tame." said Kim drily. "Also, this one seems...like it's being blocked from fully taking effect, somehow? I don't know. You should ask Blair, I'm sure she would probably know more than I do."

Maka raised her hands to her face and moaned. "Great. My future may rest in the paws of a pole dancing pussycat."

"Thank you, Kim. If you all could step out for just a minute, I'll look over Maka one more time. But we'd better do it fast. Senpai will be here as soon as he regains consciousness."

"What happened to Papa?"

"Heh. I did." Stein snickered, light glinting off his glasses. Oh, how he loved to torment that man! Some things never got old...

XXXXX

The rest of them trooped outside to wait, except for Kim, who stayed behind in case she could help. And to prevent any premature dissections that Stein might be tempted to make. Soul leaned against the wall, one hand coming up to remove his headband while the other ran through his hair, causing it to stand in jagged clumps. Tsubaki placed her hand on his arm, squeezing gently.

"How are you?"

"How am I? She doesn't even know me! You know that scene at the end of The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy wakes up? And she's all like, I had a dream, and you were there, and you, and you? I missed you all so much, blah, blah, blah?"

Tsubaki nodded slowly, not sure where he was going with this.

"It's like that, only this time Dorothy gets to Auntie Em and says, 'who the hell are you?' And I'm Auntie fuckin' Em!" He punched the wall, trying to reign in the rising hysteria he can hear in his own voice. Tsubaki patted his shoulder.

"I'm sure things will work out somehow."

Soul looked up sadly, his eyes hollow. "It's just...everything was starting to come together, you know? We were finally getting somewhere...and now? It's like the universe just loves to fuck me up the ass!"

"So, that mean you're givin' up on her?" drawled Black*Star flatly, pushing himself into Soul's personal space.

"Of course not! I'll do whatever I have to do to get her back to normal!"

"What if she never remembers?"

"Then...then, I'll just have to give her new memories, that's all."

"Good! Knew you had it in ya!"

"What I'd like to know," said Liz, narrowing her eyes at Black*Star, "is why you wouldn't let us tell her she likes Soul. What was that all about?"

"Think about it. She doesn't know him at all, and you wanna tell Maka she has the hots for him? Miss Trust Issues herself? Whaddya think she'd do?" he said exasperatedly, looking at them like they were idiots.

Liz face palmed. "Of course. She'd run like a cheap pair of pantyhose. We should've thought of that."

"Yes, that was disturbingly astute of you." said Kid.

Black*Star rolled his eyes. "Yeeeeah. That's 'cause I'm ADHD, not stupid. That and I've known her since forever. Tell her how she's supposed to feel, and Maka'll go all stubborn. Let me handle it. Imma talk to her when they get done in there. She'll trust me if I tell her Soul's on the level."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it."

"No prob; Ya know, I coulda done it when you first partnered up, but I figured I'd let her find out for herself."

Soul cocked his head. "You didn't even know me then. How could you have known I was alright?"

"Dude, ninja, remember? As in, an information gathering assassin? When I found out that she'd partnered with a guy, I checked you out."

They all looked shocked at this revelation. "You...you did a background check on me?"

"Guess you could call it that. I dug so deep, I knew pretty much everything about ya. Whole wheat or white, paper or plastic, boxers or briefs. Had to make sure you weren't some kinda pervert!"

"But you always acted like you didn't know anything about me!"

"Ah. Yeah. About that. I kinda, sorta, lied."

The door opened, and Stein and Kim came out.

"The good news is: I can't find anything else wrong with her. The bad news is: we're no closer to a cure, either. Kim and I will do some research into death curses to see if there's any clue on how to break it. In the meantime, see if Blair can add anything useful. Maka should be able to go home; make sure she gets some rest, though. Come on, Kim. Let's head to the library."

The doctor and the witch headed down the hall, leaving the rest standing there.

"I guess you should go in and say whatever it is you were going to say." said Soul to Black*Star. But the ninja was already gone, having left so stealthily no one had noticed.

Tsubaki had tears in her eyes, which Liz noticed first.

"Tsubaki? What's wrong, hon?"

"I-I was just thinking that...if he could focus on Maka-chan so well..."

"You're not jealous, are you?"

"That's not it! It's just that if he focused on missions like that, my life would have been so much easier!" she wailed in frustration, causing Kid and the other girls to nod in sympathy. Soul didn't even hear them; he was so intent on watching the doorway, waiting to be able to return to Maka's side.

XXXXX

Maka looked up as the door closed, surprised to find it was only Black*Star that had returned. He came and plopped on the side of her bed, looking serious.

"Black*Star? Where's everyone else?"

"They'll be here in a minute. I just wanted to talk to you first. About Soul."

"What about him? Is there something about him that I should know about? Something wrong with him?"

"What does your gut say? Quick, don't think about it and just tell me."

"That's the problem! I feel like I can trust him, but how can I? I don't even know him!"

Black*Star gripped her shoulders, making her look into his eyes.

"You do know him! Even if you don't remember, that doesn't change anything! Think about it; why else would you have stayed with him for so long? You're good at figuring people out. If you feel like you can trust him even when you're tryin' not to, doesn't that say somethin' about him? Give Soul a chance. I promise; you won't regret it."

Maka heaved a gusty sigh, puffing out her cheeks.

"Maybe you're right. I must have had a pretty good reason to choose him as my partner. And if we've been together this long...okay. I'll give it a shot. Is he still here? I think I may have hurt his feelings."

"Yeah, he's in the hall. I'll get him for you." He slid off the bed and headed for the door, but before Black*Star could open; it was slammed into the side of his head, embedding him into the wall as the redheaded menace burst into the room.

"MAAAAAAAKAAAAAAA! DADDY'S HERE, ANGEL!"

Maka rolled spryly off the side of the bed as her father dove toward her, backhanding him in the back of the head as he passed. It barely slowed him down; in a flip that belied his age, he regrouped, ready about to spring on her again, only pausing when a book materialized in her hand. Ah, yes. Bartlett's Book of Quotations. An old, worthy opponent. Spirit decided discretion was the better part of valor; he'd wait to see if Maka let her guard down.

"Maka sweetie, Papa heard all about it! What can I do to help my precious darling?"

Maka rubbed the bridge of her nose, a headache forming. She didn't close her eyes. She knew the sneaky bastard was waiting for an opening.

"I'm fine, Papa. Stein said I can go home. All I really want right now is a nap."

Black*Star, who had just been peeling himself from the wall, was rudely reintroduced to the antiseptic white paint as Soul thrust open the door, digging the knob into his friend's spine. Soul took in the situation at a glance, and being the good partner he was, he thought up a lie and he thought it up quick.

"Good, you're here. Stein was looking for you. He should be back any minute."

Maka looked at the boy with thankful eyes. So this must be why she'd picked him; Soul was a national treasure, knowing exactly what to say to minimize her father's stay.

Spirit adjusted his tie, beads of nervous sweat forming on his brow and upper lip. He needed to be swift. Time was ticking, and he wanted to leave this room with the same number of body parts he had entered with, preferably in their original locations.

Spirit was about to make some excuse to leave when his eye caught the glint of metal at his daughter's neck. A closer inspection discerned the shape of the charms, which meant it could have come from only one person. Spirit shot a venomous look at the white haired scythe, who had followed his line of vision and met his stare defiantly.

Spirit faced temptation at that moment. His daughter didn't remember her partner; now would be the perfect time to plant doubts about him in her mind before the brat stole her away. He was preparing to make a sly comment calculated to torpedo Maka's would-be lover, then hesitated. He couldn't do it. Spirit had watched the two from a distance over the years, and she had never been as happy as when she was in the company of her weapon. And Maka had accepted that necklace. She wasn't stupid. Maka must have known what it signified, that wearing it was a silent proclamation of love and commitment.

Was Spirit really selfish enough to destroy Maka's happiness? And as he looked at Soul, who was now facing Maka in response to something she had said, he saw the devotion in his eyes, mixed with the despair at the condition of his meister. Spirit slumped a little. If he was honest with himself, he knew that there was no one safer for his daughter to entrust her heart with. She was grown up, and Spirit needed to let go, let her find happiness. His lips quirked into a small smirk. Fine. He wouldn't ruin the boy's chances. But that didn't mean he had to make it easy on him, however...

"...Papa? Papa!"

Spirit snapped out of his daze. "Yes angel, what is it?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You have that shifty look. The one that means you're up to no good."

"No, not at all! I was just wondering if you had any questions about the albino bunny here. Papa can tell you all his many shortcomings!"

"You don't like Soul much, do you Papa?"

"Of course I do! I love the little shark-toothed bastard like he was a close, personal tumor!"

Maka smiled at Soul. "That means he hates you. That settles it; you're definitely my weapon."

She watched as Soul threw his head back and laughed, the sound deep and rich, with a slight rasp. This was the first time Maka had seen him smile, and she found that she liked the sight, strangely pleased that she had been the one to cause it. She tried to shake that feeling off; reminding herself to move slowly.

"But Maka, Papa thought you might want to try a new partner, since you can't remember him anyway. There are some promising candidates. How about it?"

Panic filled her at those words. She might not remember Soul, but everything in her screamed that separation from him wasn't an option. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him tense, waiting for the axe to fall.

"No!" she shouted louder than she meant to, startling both men. She continued in a more controlled tone. "No, I don't want another weapon. And the fact that you'd want me to get rid of him just tells me that I should stick with him; so, you can forget about whatever little plans you had to separate us." she glared at her father stubbornly, her mind made up. Spirit raised a hand in defeat.

"Alright, I just wanted to make you happy. If you're sure...?"

At her brisk nod he went on, "Then I'll be leaving now. I'll call to check on you later."

Soul had to restrain himself from smacking the older man as he passed. The slimy cretin had tried to keep him apart from Maka, and he had a good mind to-whoa! He had to struggle to keep a blank expression, for as Spirit turned to where only Soul could see his face, he winked. Suddenly it clicked; the devious dog had used Maka's stubbornness and distrust against her. For some reason, Spirit had just bought Soul some time to worm his way back into her affections. Soul couldn't bring himself to be grateful; he knew the man would make him pay for it somehow, one way or another.

Grunting came from behind the door, grabbing Soul's and Maka's attention. Black*Star, still pressed firmly into the wall, turned his head to speak.

"Can I move now? 'Cause this is freakin' uncomforta-"

Once again, the door was slammed into his body, this time by Tsubaki.

She looked around the room in confusion, lines furrowing her brow.

"Maka-chan, have you or Soul seen Black*Star? I can't find him anywhere."

"Tsuuuuuubaaaaaakiiiiiii..." came the whining growl from behind the door. She pulled it from the wall quickly, exposing the abused body of her meister.

"Black*Star! Did I do that? I'm so sorry!"

He warily extracted himself from the flaking Sheetrock, stepping nimbly out of range of further door attacks.

"No prob. Everyone else has too. Just call me Black*Star, god of piñatas!" he grumbled, brushing white powder from his clothes.

Soul and Maka were snorting with laughter as they watched Tsubaki fuss over the boy.

"God of piñatas? Then when will the candy start poppin' outta your ass?" Soul snarked, causing Maka to convulse in fresh fits of laughter. Black*Star glared at her.

"Your weapon's a real riot. Wait'll you hear him go off on your tits. Then we'll see who's laughin'!"

Maka spun on Soul, eyes slitting dangerously. "What about my tits?" she hissed.

Soul gulped, damning Black*Star for throwing him under the bus.

"They're, um, you know?"

"What?"

"Uh...tittastic?" he said with a sickly smile, before eating tile courtesy of a Maka-Chop.

Maka cocked her head. "That was strangely satisfying."

Seeing her meister would be of no help since he was too busy cackling with glee, Tsubaki tried changing the subject. "Are you ready to go home Maka-chan?"

Maka stretched her arms up and back, her shirt pulling taut over her breasts, a view Soul was trying and failing not to enjoy from his vantage on the floor.

"I am kind of tired. I guess I'll head home now, and see you three tomorrow."

She saw the others exchange looks. "What is it? Am I missing something?"

"Well, you'll see us tomorrow, but you live with Soul. So, you'll be going home with him. Maka-chan? Maka-chan, are you alright?" Tsubaki asked worriedly, watching the color drain from the other girls face.

"I...I live...WITH...him?" she squeaked, her earlier nervousness returning. Having a male weapon was one thing; living with him was something else altogether.

"We've always lived in the same apartment. But I guess I could crash with 'Star or Kid if that would make you feel better." he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

Maka looked at her friends helplessly as they shifted their eyes between her and Soul furiously, signaling her to do something. He appeared so dejected, ready to be cast aside at any moment. Arrrrrggggh. Maka felt like she had just disemboweled the last living unicorn. In front of preschoolers.

"No, that's okay. It just caught me by surprise. I'll get used to it, I'm sure. You ready to go?" she knew she had done the right thing when she saw the tension leave his body, Soul's lips forming a small smile.

"It looks like you two will be fine, so we'll be going now. Kid and the girls already left, so you don't have to worry about saying goodbye. Call us if you need anything, okay?"

And with those parting words, Tsubaki dragged her boyfriend away to soothe his wounded ego.

XXXXX

Maka followed Soul across the west parking lot, not sure where he was headed. Wasn't home in the other direction? Her silent question was answered when he stopped in front of a motorcycle with burnt orange paint, and threw one leg over the seat while sticking the keys in the ignition. He paused before starting the engine, waiting for her to get on.

"Come on, you never freaked out about the bike before."

"You look like a guy who drives fast. Am I right?"

"Yeah. So?"

Maka grinned devilishly.

"Good!"

She hopped on behind him, her arms wrapping around his torso in their natural position. The feeling almost made his heart ache more. Only this morning, the way she squeezed him on their way to school had nothing to do with staying on the bike, and everything to do with being as close as possible to him. He sighed in frustration, nearly leaping off the seat when Maka leaned forward to speak.

"Soul? Is something wrong?"

He looked at her over his shoulder, noting how cute Maka looked with her face scrunched up in concern.

"Nah. I'm fine."

She tried to read his expression, but he was doing an excellent impersonation of a brick. For some reason, she didn't like that. Soul was shutting himself off from her, and that felt...wrong. Maka flicked him on the forehead.

"You're lying. Look, I'm not going to lie; this is as weird as hell for me. I'm not sure if I'll ever remember you. But something inside me wants to, only if you'll give it a chance. So, could you give me a little time to get used to this? It's a lot to wrap my head around."

Soul was surprised. He hadn't been sure that she would be willing to get to know him again. He was determined to make a good impression on her this time, hopefully avoiding some of the rough patches that they had experienced early on. That would be the easy part; he knew what made her tick, after all, and Soul was more mature now, so maybe he could pull it off. Getting her to fall in love with him again, that was going to be harder. He didn't even know what drew Maka to him in the first place or even, he thought with a pang, if Maka really had been in love with Soul at all. They hadn't actually said the words, so there was a chance that this was all one sided. He felt his spirits sink low, but then the necklace caught his eye. No. He knew what he felt, and Maka had given every indication of feeling the same. He couldn't afford to doubt that now, when he needed the comfort of those memories most. With a start, Soul realized she was waiting for an answer.

"There's no rush. Do what you need to at your own pace. Cool guys don't rush girls into stuff."

He watched with interest as her eyes glazed for a moment. "Cool...there's something about that word..."

Soul allowed himself to feel hopeful. Could he have triggered a memory already?

"...that really annoys me."

He slumped as he finally started the engine and tore out of the parking lot. Whatever memory it was, it obviously hadn't been one of his shining moments. Dammit.

XXXXX

Maka lay in bed that afternoon, staring at her ceiling as the numbers ticked away on her alarm clock. She was still trying to get used to the idea of Soul as her weapon. He was a hard one to read; how had she ever been able to figure him out? Maybe if they resonated...no. She wasn't ready for that quite yet. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but she wasn't going to get that intimate with him without getting to know him better. Her fingers fiddled with her necklace as she contemplated the best way to approach her problem. Maka knew she would have to spend time with him, get a feel for the kind of person he really was. She'd apparently done it before. Why should it be any harder this time? Another idea popped into her head. Her friends knew all about him! They could fill her in on anything she needed to know that would be awkward to ask him directly. Maka needed to do something soon; she didn't know if she would be able to handle these disorienting spells like she had been hit with when they got home.

It seemed like any space having to do with Soul was fuzzy. The couch was the worst, followed by the kitchen. In the kitchen, she merely got dizzy. On the couch, she almost blacked out. Passing the door to his room had been just short of unbearable. She supposed it was her mind struggling to sort out two realities; her memories with Soul, and without him. He had seemed nearly as distressed about the whole thing as she was. He had caught her when her legs turned to jelly in the hall, carrying her to her room and placing her gently on the bed. Soul told her to take a nap until supper, and that it was his night to cook. That shocked her. He didn't look like the type of guy who would know his way around a kitchen. What would he look like in an apron? The absurd thought made Maka giggle. Feeling more relaxed now that she had a plan, she drifted off to sleep.

Soul wasn't faring as well as Maka. He lay stretched out on the couch, trying to figure out how best to approach things with Maka. The weird episodes she had had once they were home concerned him. On one hand, he hated that she was going through pain when they hit, but on the other hand, maybe it meant that recovering her memories wasn't a hopeless case. He sat up, resting his forehead in his hands, elbows braced on his knees. Soul knew he had to take it slow. No mention of last night. She'd explode from embarrassment if she knew they had been grinding away right here on the couch. Oh Death, the way she had rubbed against him, her hot little moans...dammit! Things had been going good for them, and now they were all fucked up! And not the way he had hoped they would be... Soul had no clue how to make her attracted to him again. He wanted her love so bad he could almost taste it. Those few hours when they had been perfectly in sync had made him feel like he was on top of the world, and now he craved that feeling like a drug.

But Maka was back to her relationship-shy self, distrustful of male attention. What had even drawn her to him in the first place? If he knew that, he could focus his efforts into that. Wait. He was forgetting something. Just because he didn't know, didn't mean that someone else didn't. He needed to ask their friends if they had any useful information about the inner workings of Maka. Surely she had told at least one of them, right? Until Soul could ask around, he'd just try to make her feel as comfortable as possible. And maybe try to figure out how those moments when Maka seemed to experience distress at anything related to him could be used as an advantage. Soul was sure that there was something about those times that made whatever curse she was under become weak; with a little experimentation, solving the problem might be within their grasp.

Soul checked his watch, noting it was time to get started on dinner. He heaved himself to his feet, and unenthusiastically made his way into the kitchen, weighing dinner options in his mind. He didn't have much of an appetite, but knew that Maka needed to eat after her ordeal. All she had had today was a package of PopTarts. So she needed something substantial to make up for it. What could he make with the least amount of effort? It should be warm and comforting. Something Soul couldn't screw up. Well, that last requirement narrowed it down. He checked the fridge, scanning the shelf for ingredients. No eggs. Scrambled eggs or omelets were out. Hmmm. They had cheese. And bread. An idea forming, he checked the cabinets. He knew he had seen some cans of...there they were. Perfect.

He could make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. The soup practically made itself, and as long as he never looked away from the stove, he shouldn't burn the sandwiches too badly. Soul rummaged around for a pot and a skillet, pouring the soup into the pot to heat up with a little milk. He then slapped some butter in the pan, tying on an apron as it melted. He set the plates for the bread on the counter right beside him so he wouldn't have to leave the sandwiches unattended. Soul took his time, and was rewarded by bread toasted a golden color, cheese melted perfectly, oozing out the edges but not going rubbery. He plated the grilled cheese, and then quickly ladled up bowls of soup, adding sour cream and shredded cheese, just the way Maka liked it. He was all set to call her before he thought of something. The kitchen had been an area to set her off. And while Soul wanted to explore what would trigger her, he didn't want to rush into it. At least not before Maka got some food into her stomach. He pulled out a tray and loaded their food onto it, and headed for her room. She would be more comfortable in there.

Maka woke up at the sound of a soft knock at her door. For a moment she was disoriented; Blair was out, so who could it be?

"Maka? Is it okay if I come in?"

She jumped at the deep masculine voice, suddenly recalling the fact that she shared her home with someone else. A male someone else. A male WHO WANTED TO COME INTO HER ROOM. Maka stopped just short of telling him to go away. He had been so kind to her, and so obviously crushed at her failure to remember him. And he didn't feel like the kind of person who would take advantage of her. On the contrary, Soul seemed to radiate a feeling of trustworthiness, at least when it came to her. Somehow she knew that he wouldn't do anything to make her uncomfortable, that he would do whatever was in her best interests. That thought made her uneasy until she remembered that they were partners. Maka never would have stayed with someone for as long as she apparently had if he was untrustworthy. So, he could have a good reason for wanting to come into her room. Maybe that was something they had done before, had casual conversations in each other's bedrooms. The thought made her blush, but she answered Soul anyway.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Soul came in with a tray of delicious smelling food, causing her stomach to growl. He put one plate and bowl on her desk, placing the tray in her lap. Maka had to work hard to keep a straight face. He WAS wearing an apron!

"You didn't have to bring it to me. I could have come out to the kitchen."

He sat down in her chair, lifting his sandwich to his mouth.

"Hmm. Maybe. But I didn't want you passing out again. You should stay in here and get your rest."

Maka watched him bite into his food, razor sharp teeth flashing in the light. She dug into her own soup, surprised to find it was fixed the way she liked. They ate in silence, but Maka found it to be more companionable than anything else. It was strange. She didn't feel awkward around Soul at all. She wished she could remember him; there was just something so unusual about him. He made her curious. What about him had made her choose him as a weapon? Well, Soul was handsome. In fact, as she looked at him, she found he was downright hot. There was a lazy, almost feline grace about him that oozed sex appeal. She froze. SINCE WHEN DID SHE GO AROUND THINKING GUYS WERE SEXY? She wasn't a shallow person. Maka had never been swayed by looks before. It was the soul that counted, not the vessel!

"Hey. Stop thinking so hard."

His comment almost caused her to spill her soup.

"What do you mean?"

He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, licking the grease off his fingers. Soul noted with interest that Maka followed his actions, her eyes tracing the trail of his tongue. It was stupid how happy that made him feel. Like a little boy who had finally gotten the girl to notice him. Which, sadly, wasn't far from the truth.

"You always get this look on your face when you're thinking about something that frustrates you. And it usually turns out to be no big deal anyway, so you might as well relax."

Maka set her bowl on the desk with a bit more force than was necessary.

"Somehow, I think partial amnesia qualifies as a big deal! Try taking it seriously!"

She was unnerved when he rolled the chair closer to her to place his hand on her arms, Soul's dark eyes boring into hers.

"I told you before, we're gonna make it through this. I promise."

"What makes you so sure? I may never get my memories back! What will you do then?"

"We're partners. Even if you forgot about me, I won't leave you. But you're going to remember me. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of that. So don't give up so soon. It's uncool not to have faith in your weapon, you know?"

Maka found herself at a loss for words. The intensity in his voice smoothed over her fears, anchoring her so she didn't fall into despair. She couldn't find it within herself to doubt him. At that moment, she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to remember this boy. As soon as she could, she would begin pumping her friends for information. Maybe something would trigger her memories. Maka seemed to be right on the brink several times tonight, when the dizziness would wash over her. Tomorrow, she would start pushing herself more; get a feeling of how close she could get to the breaking point.

"Thanks Soul. I guess I was starting to freak out a little. I'll be alright now. Tomorrow I'll try to figure out what happens when I'm in places we've been together a lot. I think, maybe if I stay in those areas for a longer period of time, the barriers from the curse might break. Or at least weaken."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't want you doin' anything that's gonna hurt you. And I know you; you'll push yourself too far if I let you."

"Let me? I don't recall asking your permission."

Maka raised her chin defiantly, and Soul knew it would be best to back down a bit if he didn't want her to fry her brains out in an attempt to prove she could handle it.

"Let's just go slow, alright? If you do too much, it could cause a backlash. If that happens, you might forget even more. We don't even know how this death curse thing works. Kim said something was partially blocking it, but if you put strain on it, who knows what'll happen? I'm not gonna stop you; just promise you won't do it when you're alone."

Maka nibbled on her lower lip, processing his words. She had been prepared for an argument, but Soul had backed off pretty quickly. And, she had to admit, he had some pretty valid points. It would probably be best to be careful until they understood more about the curse.

"I won't do anything while I'm alone, at least not yet. I'll just...poke it a little. Will you help me or not?"

While they had been talking, Soul's hands had slid down her arms until they were next to hers. The hairs on the back of her neck raised up as his thumbs stroked small circles on the backs of her hands. Maka stopped herself from pulling away when she caught the sad look in his eyes as he smiled weakly.

"You know, if you remembered me, you wouldn't even have to ask that."

She struggled for an answer, but he stood up and began gathering the dirty dishes as if the moment had never happened. Maka's skin still tingled from where he had touched her, and she now felt awfully lonely now that he was no longer near her. As Soul nudged the door open with his foot while his hands were full with the tray, she called out to him.

"Soul!"

He poked his head back in, waiting to hear what she had to say. Maka looked up at him with her large green eyes glimmering.

"I...I just wanted to say I'm sorry about this..."

"There's nothin' for you to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong. Besides, I already told you, we're gonna get through this. So get some rest, and we'll try some stuff out tomorrow if you're up to it. 'Night, Maka."

Soul pulled the door shut behind him by hooking his elbow on the knob, leaving Maka in her room alone with her thoughts. Confusing emotions whirled through her as she curled up to go to sleep. She was going to see her friends as soon as possible tomorrow. She had a lot of questions about Soul that she wanted answered.

Soul washed the dishes and went into the living room to watch some T.V. He was hoping it would distract him, but his mind kept wandering back to Maka. He was about to give up and go to bed, when the window opened a crack and Blair slithered in.

"I thought you would still be at work. Did you get off early?" Soul asked the purple cat.

There was a poofing sound and Blair stood before him in her human form, looking sad.

"Kim called Blair at work. Blair came home to check on Maka. Is she in her room?"

Soul sighed.

"Yeah. She's pretty tired so Maka may already be asleep. Oh, and something weird happened when we got home. She kept having these dizzy spells, and they seemed to be worse in places where I am a lot, like the couch and kitchen. It was really bad around my room. Can you figure out what that's about?"

Blair cocked her head to the side, her slitted eyes narrowed in thought.

"Mhmmm. That sounds familiar...let Bu-tan have a look at her. Be right back."

"Try not to wake her up."

He sat there, impatiently waiting; tapping his fingers on his leg for what felt like hours, but in reality, closer to five minutes. Soul jumped in surprise when Blair padded up behind him, then relaxed when she walked around the couch to sit on the coffee table, facing him. Blair looked unusually serious for her personality, and Soul felt his mouth go dry. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Well?"

"Kim was right. It is a witch's death curse. And it is being blocked; Blair has never heard of that happening. But that does mean that the curse can be broken if you try hard enough. It depends on how much Maka wants to remember you."

Soul slumped over. He was glad to hear it was possible to break the curse, but wasn't really sure how badly Maka wanted to remember him. It made it that much more important for him to get his friend's advice on how to win her back.

He stood up, exhaustion hitting him like a wave. "Thanks Blair. I guess I'll head to bed then. Maybe I can figure out something tomorrow."

He was almost out of the room when Blair called out softly.

"If it makes you feel any better, Bu-tan knows why she only forgot you."

Soul spun around, waiting expectantly. The cat-eared woman smiled softly.

"That curse. It makes its victims forget the thing that's most important to them. It can be anything; yourself, material possessions...but in Maka's case, the thing she cares most about in the whole world, the one thing that matters most, is Soul-kun."

Soul was stunned. The doubts that had lingered insidiously in the corners of his mind vanished. Maka loved him. More than school, more than being a meister. Even more than her own mother, and that was saying something, since she was devoted to the woman. He smiled at Blair, the first genuine smile since that morning.

"Thanks Blair. I needed to hear that. G'night."

Blair watched the white haired boy walk down the hall to his room. She had told him the truth. What she had held back was the fact that she knew what was blocking the spell. It was that necklace, or rather, the feelings that it represented. It was acting like a talisman against the curse, creating a magical layer of bubble wrap around Maka's memories. Blair chose to keep this information to herself; if they knew, it might negate the barrier, allowing the curse to be complete. She would monitor their progress closely. The more Maka could be made to care about Soul, the better. The dizzy spells she was having were a good sign. It meant that somewhere deep inside, she was fighting to remember. Soul would just have to use his manly charms to woo Maka. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? Blair thought back to when she had first met them, and how in denial the girl had been. She grimaced. Scythe-boy had his work cut out for him.

XXXXX

The next morning, Soul staggered sleepily into the kitchen to find Maka already there, at the stove cooking breakfast. He watched her for a moment, noting that she was paler than normal, and her hands shook slightly.

"I thought you were going to wait 'till I was around before you tried somethin' like this."

Maka let out a squeak, fumbling with the frying pan. She had been deep in thought, and the low, drawling voice surprised her. She paused, playing back his words before speaking.

"I thought I could just yell if I had any problems. And, as you can see, I'm doing fine."

Soul cocked a brow, saying nothing. She caught his look, and huffed.

"Okay, I'm a little shaky, but not as bad as last night. I think if I keep gradually trying out spots like this, then I'll be able to work out a way to remember something. I'll save your room for last, since it's the place that is most associated with you."

He sat at the table as she spoke, watching the way her skin flushed at the mention of his room. Wow. It had been years since she was that shy about coming into his room. That had been quickly erased after countless mornings of having to barge in and wake him for school. After about a month, she had become used to coming into his room for various things and soon, thought nothing of plopping herself on his bed just to talk.

He answered as she set their plates on the table, sitting in the chair across from him.

"Maybe if you hung around me more, you wouldn't get dizzy as much? And something might trigger a memory. It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

Maka watched his hopeful expression as she chewed on a slice of toast. She weighed the pros and cons, eventually agreeing.

"Sure. That makes sense. But I kind of wanted to talk to Tsubaki about something today, so..."

She trailed off, letting him decide what he wanted to do.

"No prob. I was gonna see Black*Star today anyway. I can give you a lift over to their place and back. When you wanna go?"

"After breakfast, if that's alright. They should just be getting done with their morning workout by the time we get there."

"That's good." he swallowed the last of his eggs. "Let me go get changed and I'll be ready to go."

He stood and carried his plate to the sink, rinsing it off before he left. Maka followed his example, going into the living room to wait. Carefully avoiding the couch, she curled up in the armchair farthest from it. The kitchen had taken a lot out of her, and she wasn't ready for anymore strain just yet. She hoped she could get Tsubaki alone. She wasn't going to ask any questions about Soul with him sitting right there. She was just wondering if she had time to start a book when Soul came in, shoving a headband on, causing his shaggy hair to spike out more. Maka idly wondered whether she liked it better that way or hanging loose around his face. The thought startled her; she was thinking about his appearance way too much. 'Get ahold of yourself Maka! He's just like any other boy! Stop thinking about him so much!" She had almost gotten herself under control when he flashed her a sharp-toothed smile, one side of his mouth quirking higher than the other.

"You ready to go?"

"Y-yeah. Can we stop by the store on the way home? I used up the last of the eggs. Somehow, they had gotten shoved to the back of the fridge."

"Huh. Wondered where you got them this mornin'. I didn't see any when I looked last night. Blair must've moved shit around again. So, Black*Star's place and the store. Need to go anywhere else?"

Maka thought about that. "Hmmm. No, I think that's it."

They walked outside, Maka noticing the way he slouched lazily while he walked, hands shoved into the pockets of his black leather jacket. Normally, poor posture bugged her, but she couldn't seem to make herself tell Soul to straighten up. She shrugged it off. Maybe it was something about him that she had gotten used to over time. She hesitantly got on the bike behind him, gingerly putting her hands on his shoulders. Last night she hadn't been this nervous, but after thinking it over, she wanted to keep a little distance between them. Maka wasn't sure she liked this...attraction...that seemed to be pulling her towards her weapon.

She had always told herself that she would steer clear of any romantic attachments, at least during school. And falling for her partner was unthinkable. There was no way in hell that she wanted to end up like her mother, hurt and betrayed. And really, with as good looking as Soul was, there was no way he wasn't a player. He probably had a string of girls a mile long, breaking hearts left and right. Yeah. Soul was just like any other male. She would prove it.

"Are you sure you have time to be doing this? Shouldn't you be spending a day off with your girlfriend or something?"

He tensed beneath her fingers, almost imperceptibly.

"I don't have a girlfriend." he growled.

"Oh. So you're between girls right now?"

"I've never had a girl."

In her surprise, Maka ignored the dangerous tone of his voice, and pressed further.

"So, you're a one-night-stand kind of guy then?"

Soul jerked away from her, half turning to look her in the eyes with a glare.

"No. I'm not a one night stand kinda guy! In fact, I'm a fuckin' virgin! Any more questions about my nonexistent love life or can we go now?"

Since words had gotten her nowhere but trouble, Maka settled for nodding dumbly.

Over the roar of the engine he shouted, "And hold on right this time. I'm not contagious."

Chastened, Maka slid her arms tightly around his waist, until he grunted his approval. As he revved the bike and sped out of the parking lot, she pressed her reddened face into the back of Soul's jacket. Her ploy had backfired. Instead of the horndog she had been imagining, she had discovered that Soul was just as inexperienced as she was. That thought...pleased Maka. Damn it.

XXXXX

They pulled up outside of Black*Star and Tsubaki's place about ten minutes later, both of them still marveling over the existence of a Japanese style home in the middle of the Nevada desert. Maka slid off the bike, and awkwardly faced Soul, her fingers twisting themselves in knots as she nibbled on her lower lip.

"Soul, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have pried into your personal life like that." she looked up as he snorted.

"Nah, it's not a problem. You know all of my personal stuff anyway, even if you don't remember. Sorry I snapped at you." he walked up the driveway by her side, but stopped as they stepped onto the porch. "But Maka, there's one thing you should know. I'm not your father, so don't go thinkin' that you can lump me in with guys like him."

Maka was dumbfounded. Had he been reading her mind? "How did you know I-"

He gave her a crooked grin. "After all these years, I know the way your mind works. And I know you hate cheaters. You don't have to worry about that; cool guys don't cheat on their partners."

Those words seemed to reverberate strangely in Maka's head. The world began to spin, and her vision was going black. She staggered into Soul, sliding down his body bonelessly, feeling his arms wrap around her, then lift her up with one arm behind her back and the other in the crook of her knees.

"Shit! Sorry Maka. I didn't think that would hit you like that." Soul kicked the door with his foot, hoping someone would open it quickly. Her felt a weak tug on his shirt and looked down into Maka's pale face.

"You...you've said that before, right?"

"Yeah. Are you remembering anything?" he asked hopefully.

Her eyebrows drew together. "No, I don't really remember...it's just sort of something I feel."

"Hmm. Guess that's better than nothin'."

At that moment the door was opened by Tsubaki, whose eyes widened at the sight she was met with.

"Soul! What's wrong with Maka-chan?"

"We can explain later. Can I come in and set her down so she's comfortable?"

"Of course! Right this way."

Tsubaki led them into the living room, motioning Soul to lay Maka on the worn, broken-springed couch. He set her down gently, propping her back against the arm of a couch with a pillow. Tsubaki fussed over her, running to the kitchen to get Maka a glass of water.

"Are you okay? Should I call Professor Stein?"

Maka swallowed the water, waving her hand at Tsubaki's suggestion.

"No, I'm fine. I just had one of those weird flashes that I've been getting. Don't worry about it."

Tsubaki cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Flashes?"

Maka and Soul explained what had been going on since yesterday.

"Well, that's a good thing, right? It means your memories might not be lost for good. By the way, what did you come over for? Is there anything I can help with?"

"I had something I wanted to talk to you about, but if you're busy, I can come back some other time."

"No no! It's just that Black*Star's almost done with his workout, and after that, is...other cardio." she said with a slightly perverted grin, leaving no doubt as to what she meant.

Maka buried her face in her hands. "Really, Tsubaki. Really? Other cardio?"

"Hey, it's a legitimate form of exercise. You said so yourself."

Soul stared at Maka, uncomfortable yet strangely aroused.

"I'm just gonna...go see Black*Star...yeah. That's what I'm gonna do..."

He backed out of the living room, mind buzzing, trying not to think what kind of conversation would have Maka, equating sex with exercise...arrrrgh, the perverted cockroach thoughts were back...purge, Soul, purge...

XXXXX

Soul slipped down the hall and into the back room where Black*Star kept his training equipment. He found his friend hanging from his knees on the chin-up bar, arms crossed behind his neck as he worked on his hanging crunches.

"4,657...4,658..." he broke off counting as he noticed Soul come into the room. Black*Star flipped from the bar, landing on his feet, as he grabbed a towel from a hook on the wall.

"Hey man. Watcha doin'? Thought you'd be spendin' the day with Maka."

Soul plunked down on a bench against the wall, and Black*Star joined him, listening intently as Soul described the events from the past afternoon up until a few minutes ago.

"...so I thought I'd ask around and try to figure out the best way to win her over. Got any ideas?"

Black*Star tipped his head back in concentration, thinking deeply.

"Hmm. Tsubaki and I have this really helpful book. It's got tons of pictures...I'm sure you could find a few positions that Maka would dig!"

Soul stared at him for a beat and then smacked him on the back of the head.

"No, you moron! I can't just go up to her and say, 'Hey, Maka, pick a position and let's see if we can fuck your memories back!' She'd chop me to hell and back, and give up on remembering me at all!"

Black*Star nodded. "True dat. Guess you should start off slow. Maybe you could spike your hair out bigger, and wear brighter colors? Oh! Oh! I know! Do you have any loud sounds you could make? Attract her with a studly mating cry!"

Soul groaned, rolling his eyes. "You've been watching animal documentaries again, haven't you?"

"...Maybe. So what? Look, she fell for you once; I don't see what the big deal is. Just do what you did before, and she'll come around."

"But I don't know what I did before that made her like me! What if I fuck it up? I can't lose her, 'Star, not now."

Black*Star clapped his hand down on Souls shoulder.

"Dude. Maka liked you for you; you didn't do anything special before, so just stick with being your regular self. If you don't, she'll see right through you and wonder why you're tryin' so hard. That'll make her suspicious for sure. The worst thing that could happen now is for you to give her any reason to question your motives. Besides, if what you say is true, and her memories are fightin' to come out, then she's gonna remember anyway. You know Maka. She's too stubborn to give up. She'll beat this thing, and before you know it, you guys'll be beggin' to borrow my book! Bwahaha!"

Soul's head thunked against the wall as he listened to his friend's advice.

"I hope you're right. I seriously doubt about the book, though."

Black*Star grinned wolfishly. "You shouldn't. You know how Maka loooooooves to study. And she practices all her moves until she gets 'em right. Over. And over. And over...ha! You're thinking about it, aren't ya? You've got that perverted look in your eye that tells-"

"Soul-Chop."

Soul shook his numb hand. No wonder Maka used books; Black*Star's head was like concrete.

XXXXX

In the living room, Maka was busy grilling Tsubaki like a tuna. She didn't know how much time she had until Soul came back, and she had a lot of questions she wanted answers to.

"Why did I choose him as a partner? How long have we lived together? Do I really trust him? Should I? Does he really not go out on dates? Why? Are we friends, or just partners? Wh-"

"MAKA!" Tsubaki yelled, cutting off the rapid fire flow of words.

"Slow down! I'll try to answer your questions if you'll give me a chance! Okay, here. You chose Soul to be your partner when you heard him play the piano. You once mentioned that you were able to feel his soul when he played, and you liked it. You've been living together for about six years now. Yes, you trust him. He's the person you trust the most. And yes, you should. He's proved that time and again. You are friends. You haven't been just partners since nearly the beginning. As for his dating..." Tsubaki trailed off suggestively. "He's never gone out with anyone, but you'll have to ask him the reason why. Are you interested in him? He is awfully hot..."

"No!"

Maka squealed; face red as the Kool-Aid Man.

"I'm not! Well...I mean...uggggh, yes, he's hot, but I don't want to fall for him. Especially not because of his looks. If I ever do decide to date, I want it to be with someone that I'm attracted to on a deeper level than that. I want something that will last, not superficial lust. I don't want to end up like Mama..."

Tsubaki patted Maka's hand in a comforting manner.

"I understand that, but please remember: Soul is nothing like your father. He would never, ever do anything that would hurt you. Black*Star told me that even now, you felt like you can trust him. Don't fight that feeling. I know this is all very new to you, but be careful how you treat him; you could end up hurting him very badly."

Maka flopped back against the couch in defeat.

"I don't want to hurt him, but I don't want to trust him, either. I mean, he's basically a stranger, but here I am, perfectly at ease with him, like we belong together or something. It's ridiculous!"

"Is it really?" asked Tsubaki softly. "I think you should consider the possibility. At least give it some serious thought after you get to know him a bit better. Give him a chance to prove himself. You'll be surprised."

Maka fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I guess I could give him a chance...if you really think so..."

"Besides, admit it; you think he's a sexy beast!"

"...I hadn't noticed..."

"Liar! Come on, admit it, that rock hard chest, nice biceps...you had to have noticed something. Tell me! Tell me!"

Maka grew frustrated at Tsubaki's nagging and yelled out loud something she hadn't meant to.

"FINE! HE HAS A REALLY NICE ASS, OK?"

She heard a smothered snort behind her, and closed her eyes.

"Fuck..."

Maka heard his feet scuff on the carpet as he walked around the couch to face her. Her face was on fire, and she wanted to burrow a hole into the cushions and die from shame.

"I'm hurt, Maka. Am I really just an ass to you?"

Her eyes snapped open to see his smirking face, smugness oozing from every pore.

"In more ways than one, it seems." Maka hissed, rising to her feet to march stiffly to the door.

"See you later, Tsubaki!" she threw over her shoulder, slamming the door behind her.

Soul face palmed. "Well, that was fuckin' terrific! Why can't I learn to shut my mouth...?"

Tsubaki patted his shoulder. "Soul, you were just acting like you normally would. If she hated it so much, she never would have fallen in love with you in the first place. And she really does love you. You know that, right?"

Soul snorted bitterly. "Yeah. That's what I couldn't mention in front of Maka. Blair said the curse made her forget the thing that was most important to her. Dunno whether to be insanely happy, or epically depressed."

"Black*Star and I thought it must be something like that. It was really the only thing that made sense. At least, now we know she's still attracted to you. I'm sure if you give it a little time, her memories will come back. Until then, a bit of seduction couldn't hurt..."

Soul felt his eyelid twitch in what he feared was becoming a permanent tic.

"I'm not gonna seduce her when she barely knows who I am, Tsubaki! Between you and 'Star, the only advice I get is to jump her like some freakin' horndog!"

"Soooo, you'll do the seducing after she gets her memory back?"

Soul threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Yes! If she gets them back, I'll seduce like a rabbit in heat! But until that happens, I need to get her to see me as someone she can trust. Got that? Trust first, THEN the sexual fiesta!"

He was stopped from ranting any further by the click of the front door shutting. He met Tsubaki's stunned expression.

"Soul, I didn't even hear her come in! Do you think she heard?"

Soul choked back an uncool whimper. "Of course she did. It never rains, but it pisses...All. Over. Me. Guess I'd better go see if I can do any damage control. Wanna come watch me fail?"

Tsubaki followed Soul silently out the front door, trying to come up with a way to help the poor boy out. She hoped this wouldn't cause a setback in Maka's recovery... She was so focused that she didn't notice that Soul had abruptly stopped, and Tsubaki ran into him before she could stop herself. She looked over his shoulder to see what could have caused his reaction. Maka was standing by the bike, which came as no surprise, but standing beside her was Black*Star, whom Tsubaki had thought was still in the back of the house.

"Do you think it was Black*Star that we heard?"

"A lifetime of shitty experience says no, but my foolish heart still hopes." he whispered back.

They crossed the lawn to where their partners stood waiting for them, Maka still pouting and Black*Star wearing a smirk that told Soul he knew he had stuck his foot in his mouth.

"So, was that you we heard leaving earlier?" Soul tried to ask casually, not daring to look at Maka.

"Yeah. I came out here when you were talkin' 'bout the fiesta of-" Soul's hand slapping over his mouth cut off the rest of the sentence, leading Maka to glare suspiciously.

"What fiesta?"

"We were talking about the party we were gonna have once you got your memories back. It was going to be a surprise." Soul said smoothly, his arm sliding down to choke his friend around the neck. "You weren't supposed to say anything, 'Star."

Black*Star wrenched himself free, gulping for air. He noticed Soul's look of desperation, and, taking pity, he played along.

"My bad! Sorry, Maka! Didn't mean to spoil it for ya."

Maka visibly relaxed. "It's alright. If there is a party though, you and Tsubaki definitely have to come."

Tsubaki turned away choking on a laugh. Black*Star grinned widely. "Oh, most def. Me an' Tsubaki can show you ALL the latest moves!" he cackled.

"Makaaaa-Chop!"

Maka looked from the prone body of her friend to Soul, shrugging. "Don't ask why. For some reason, I just felt like he had it coming."

Soul shook his head, thankful for the narrow escape. "He usually does. You ready to head for the store?"

Maka nodded as she watched him mount the bike. With a quick hop, she was on behind him.

"Bye Tsubaki. I'll talk to you later!"

Tsubaki just waved distractedly as she dragged her meister into the house. Since other cardio had been put off due to unconsciousness, there was only one thing to do; resuscitation...other resuscitation...hehehe.

XXXXX

They headed back home, stopping only long enough for Maka to make a quick run into the store. Soul was helping her put away the groceries when Maka groaned, slapping her hand to her face. He looked at her with concern, searching for any sign that she was experiencing another episode.

"Hey, you okay there?"

Maka waved of his question. "I'm fine. I just forgot that I have one of Kid's textbooks and we have a test coming up. I should've remembered earlier so we could take it. I guess I'll have to run over there."

Seeing a chance to get his other friend's take on his situation, Soul jumped in with an offer. "I can run it over there right now if you want. Blair should be waking up soon, and you might wanna talk to her about the curse."

Maka looked at him with relief. Her earlier fainting fit had taken a lot of energy out of her, and she hadn't been looking forward to having to go out again.

"Would you really? That would be great! Let me go grab the book for you."

Soul leaned against the door, waiting for Maka to retrieve the book. This was a perfect opportunity. He should have gone to Kid in the first place; he was sure to have better advice than just to bend her over and make her see stars. Kid would be calm and analytical. He would go over all the facts, assess the options, and give Soul the perfect method for dealing with Maka.

He looked up as Maka came through the entryway, a thick textbook in her hand.

"Here it is. Are you sure you don't need me to come with you?"

"Nah. I had somethin' I needed to ask Kid, so I'll be a while anyway. Want me to fix supper when I get back?"

Maka shook her head, pigtails swaying slightly. "No, I'll do it. I need to get used to being in the kitchen, and I'm already a little better than I was this morning. I think I'll take a nap this afternoon and then give it a try."

Soul scanned her for any signs of distress or fatigue, but found only a hint of tiredness in her eyes. If she took a nap, she should be fine.

"K, I'm gonna head out now. Don't push yourself too hard while I'm gone. I left my number on the fridge, just in case. Need anything while I'm out?"

"I got everything I needed at the store. The only thing I'd forgotten about was Kid's book, so as soon as you deliver that, everything should be taken care of."

Soul took the book, tucking it under one arm. "Get some rest. I'll help with supper when I get back."

Maka watched him walk out the door, the wheels in her brain whirring in an attempt to figure him out. He was confusing; crude and snarky one moment, gentle and considerate the next. Which was the real Soul? She needed to know. All this pussy footing around was getting her nowhere. She had to step it up a notch. Maka wasn't a patient person at the best of times, and this was pretty far from those times. Deciding to write down everything that she had learned from Tsubaki that might give her a clue on how to jump start her memory, Maka headed for her room.

XXXXX

Soul rang the skull shaped doorbell at the front door of Kid's mansion and waited for someone to answer, listening to the muffled chimes of the bell coming from inside. Eight notes. Of course. He didn't have to stand there long before the door was opened by Liz.

"Soul? What are you doing here?"

He held up the book for her to see.

"Kid forgot one of his books, so Maka sent me over."

Liz flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder, and reached out to take the book from Soul.

"Thanks. He was freaking out about this last night. Is that all you needed?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about something. Mind if I come in?"

Liz gave a catlike smile. "Wondered when you would get to us. Tsubaki called earlier and filled us in. Come on, Kid's out back meditating."

Relieved that he wouldn't have to explain himself again, Soul followed Liz through the house and out into the back yard. She led him down a small path that ended in a spacious garden, with carefully manicured trees and hedges, and a tidy Zen garden. They found Kid next to a perfectly round koi pond, dressed in a black track suit and sitting in the lotus position. He didn't look up at their approach, and continued to ignore them when Soul cleared his throat. Liz nudged him with the toe of her sandal, teal toenail polish flashing in the sunlight.

"Kid. Hey, Kiiiiiid! Soul's here and he needs to talk to us. Snap out of it!"

Continuing to get no reaction, Liz decided to play dirty. Walking over to the pond, she mused aloud, "That's strange. There's only seven koi in here. I could've sworn we had eight."

The effect was immediate. Kid dashed over to the edge in a blind panic, nearly knocking Liz into the water.

"WHAT THE HELL? NO! I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER THERE BEING EIGHT THIS MORNING! THIS IS A TRAVESTYYYYYYY!"

He did a double take at the fish. "Wait, they're all here. Natural order has been restored. You can all stop panicking now."

Soul and Liz rolled their eyes at each other. "The only one panicking was you. Now get up and pull yourself together. Soul's here and he wants to talk about Maka."

Kid stood up, brushing dirt off his clothes while glaring at his weapon. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? You knew all along how many fish there were."

Liz didn't even bother to look at him, choosing instead to examine her nails critically. Spying a minute chip, she turned and headed back for the house.

"You guys go ahead and start, I'll be back soon."

"Come sit over here. I'm thirsty, and the tea should still be cold."

They sat down at a small round table for four, Soul slumping forward to rest his chin in his cupped palm, elbow braced on the table. He nodded when Kid held a pitcher dripping with condensation over a glass that had been set in front of him. Kid poured a generous serving of the pale green liquid, then sat down and fixed some for himself. Not really paying attention to what was in the glass; Soul took a large gulp to ease his dry throat.

"Agggh! Pfft! Ugh, what was that you just tried to poison me with?"

Kid sipped at his drink, hiding a small smile of amusement behind the glass.

"Herbal tea. It takes a little getting used to, but eventually it grows on you."

"I'll bet it does." drawled Soul, eyeing the beverage suspiciously, noticing the bits of unrecognizable matter floating in it.

"Tea aside, I assume you're here to discuss Maka?" asked Kid, getting them back on the topic at hand. "Tsubaki told us about what happened at their house. I must say, it's an interesting development. Is there anything specific you're doing about it?"

Soul set his glass down gingerly, making a mental note not to ingest any more of that grotesque concoction. Really, health nuts had zero taste.

"I have no idea what to do. We kinda decided to hang out in places that trigger her, and see where it goes from there. I thought she was startin' to remember stuff at Black*Star's, but she said it was more feelings than memories. What I wanted to know is; what do I do to get her to like me again? I don't even know why she fell for me in the first place! Did she happen to tell any of you?"

Kid swirled his tea in tiny circles, watching the cubes of ice tinkle against the side of the glass.

"You know Maka, Soul. She's a very private person. I don't think she ever said much about her feelings for you, even to Tsubaki. I don't think you should even try; just be natural, and let things happen. That's how it started, right? Did you ever do anything to make her fall in love with you before?"

Soul's head thunked on the table. Why did he think he could get romantic advice from Mr. Asexuality himself?

"I thought that if she started to have feelings for me, that might kick start her memories. But everyone keeps telling me the same thing; either be myself, or tap her ass."

"What's wrong with either of those options?"

Soul sat up, choking on his own spit. Did the Sexless Shinigami really just tell him he should get in Maka's panties? He took a drink, spitting it back out over the table almost instantly.

"Damn it, Kid! Not you too!"

Kid shrugged. "I didn't mean right away. As you say, her memories may start to return if she develops feelings for you. If that happens, sex might be the final push for full recovery."

Soul clenched his fists. He was beginning to get pissed at how casually they all were treating the subject of sex.

"Look," he growled, "I love Maka. I want Maka. But I'm not going to even start something physical until she gets all her memories back. Period."

"Even if it was the only way for her to recover? What if she never remembers you, Soul?"

"If I have to, I'll start all over with Maka. You said it yourself; she fell in love with me once before, so if I just keep doing what I have been, maybe she will again."

Thoughtfully, Kid nodded. "I think that would be the wisest course of action. Besides, from what I've been told, she seems to be coming out of it, at least a bit. Give it some time and see what happens."

Glancing at his watch, Soul saw that it was a little after four. He stood up, getting ready to head home. Maka would be starting dinner soon, and he had said he would help. Thanking Kid, he set out to find the path back to the house, when he bumped into Liz.

"Watch where you're going! My polish is still wet!" she glared at him irritably, shaking her hands to get them to dry faster. "Are you done already? What did Kid have to say?"

Soul sighed. He had a feeling he knew what opinions Liz would have on the matter.

"Basically, he told me not to do anything. Why, what do you think?"

Liz snorted. "Typical Kid. All the romance of a block of wood. You listen to me! Maka may come off as a prude, but before this shit happened, she had...plans, if you know what I mean."

Soul stared at her in confusion. What was she talking about?

Seeing that he wasn't getting it, Liz continued. "You know how her birthday is coming up soon? Well, Maka was planning on you two having a...private party after the one we're throwing."

"...Hah?"

Liz watched as his jaw flopped to the ground, a twisted smirk forming on her face.

"Thaaaaats right. She was looking forward to a special present. Like you, wearing nothing but a ribbon and a smile."

"You mean...she wanted to...I could've...we...arrrggggh!"

"Yep. Now, go home, sweep her off her feet and onto the nearest flat surface, and work on some hardcore memory retrieval."

Soul was stunned. Not at what Liz was telling him to do; Soul had resigned himself to the fact that all his friends were pervs and that they were totally useless when it came to helping him. But Maka...he thought the other night was about as wild as she would get, at least for a while.

Now, he couldn't help but wonder how she had been planning on going about it...would she have been sweet and shy, blushing as she stammered out her desires? Or would she be bold and assertive like she was in a fight, with that cocky smile she sometimes wore, and flat out tell him she wanted to get down and dirty? If that make out session they had had was anything to go by, it would be closer to the latter. Gods, the way she had slid along his dick in just the right way to make him-

"...ul? Soul!" Liz snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality.

"What?"

"You're, um, sort of bleeding all over the place."

Looking down, Soul found that she was right. His nose had done its Niagara Falls bit, and the ground was now saturated with his blood. Embarrassed, he muttered a quick goodbye and cut around the side of the mansion instead of attempting to find his way through its twisting hallways. Rounding the final corner, he was about to make his way to his bike, when he heard a noise.

"Psst."

No one was there. He walked in the direction the voice had come from. Nothing. Shrugging, he turned once again to leave when…

"Psst. Over here."

Great. Now the bushes were talking to him. What the fuck had Kid slipped in his drink? Herbal tea, his ass! Carefully, Soul surveyed his surroundings, making sure that no one could see him. The bush wanted to talk? Fine. He had nothing to lose. He casually shuffled towards it, maintaining his absolute coo-

"YIPES!"

It's hard to maintain your cool when shrieking like a twelve year old girl at a Bieber concert, but anyone would be thrown off by the vision in front of him. Because, unless Kid really HAD drugged him or the Black Blood had finally taken its toll, the bush was moving. And, slowly emerging from it like some oddly spotted periscope, was the long neck of a giraffe. Oh. A giraffe. His shoulders sagged with realization. No need for a heart attack, it was just Patty. He walked closer, the giraffe head twisting and turning to follow his movements.

"Sup, Patty? Watcha doin' in that bush?"

"I'm not Patty. I'm Mr. Giraffe."

"Whatever. Look, Patty, I'm not in the mood, so-"

"I'M. NOT. PATTY. I'M. MR. GIRAFFE!"

Soul took a few steps back. There was an evil aura emanating from the foliage, and she was using THAT voice. When that happened, shit got real. He decided to play along for his own safety.

"Okaaaay, Mr. Giraffe it is. Was there something you wanted?"

The head bobbed up and down, and Soul noticed that the stuffed animal wore a smug, knowing looking smile, its eyes twinkling creepily. Patty spoke up, continuing to disguise her voice.

"Poor Soul. Everyone's giving you crap advice. They either want you to do too much, or not enough."

Wonderful. Out of all his friends, a stuffed animal understood him the best. Morbidly curious, he waited to hear more. The head leaned in close to him and whispered conspiratorially.

"The key is to compromise. It took years to get Maka to the point she was before the accident. You reeeeaaaally wanna wait that long? I don't think so. And if you put the moves on her too soon? Maka reads a lot. I'm sure she knows some VEEERY creative ways to kill a person. So what's a poor boy in your place to do, hmmm?"

Soul shook his head. The giraffe-Patty had put it perfectly. No matter which way he chose, he was screwed.

"I dunno. Tell me, O wise giraffe. How do I get the girl?"

Disturbing cackling came from the bush.

"Aw, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. Everyone was right when they told you to be yourself. You just need to be...MORE you. In other words, you need to make yourself accessible. No brooding in your room like an emo boy with your headphones on. No disappearing on long motorcycle rides. Proactivity is key! You gotta be aggressive, B, E, aggressive!"

The giraffe sang, flailing around like a deranged cheerleader.

"Well, maybe not tooooo aggressive, just don't sit around like an arthritic turtle! Get her to talk. She's going to be curious about you, so tell her about yourself. Let her ask questions. BE HONEST! She'll know if you're not, and she'll probably think the worst, so if there's something you don't want to talk about, just say so. Also, she's very confuzzled about her attraction to you right now, so-"

"Wait. What? Throw that at me again, 'cause I don't think I caught it the first time. She's attracted to me?"

He didn't know how, but the stuffed animal glared at him.

"As I was saying...yes, attracted. Maka may not remember you, but her feelings seem like they're bleeding through. You can use this. I know Maka, and she'll be fighting against it, so you need to keep her off balance. Look for excuses to be close to her. Brush up against her when you pass in the hallway, little things like that. Nothing too major, you don't wanna scare her off. That leaves out groping and the subsequent bunny humping that your friends keep pestering you to do. The trick is to take it slow while constantly moving forward. Got it? Oh, and lose the shirt whenever you get a chance. After all, Maka did think you were smexy, so some fanservice wouldn't hurt."

"Talking. Touching. Stripping. Hate to say it, but this is the best plan I've heard all day. If this doesn't work, at least you've got a long, breakable neck to take my frustrations out on", joked Soul, recalling the many times he had seen Patty abuse this giraffe.

The giraffe reared back in terror. "You wouldn't harm an innocent giraffe, would you?" It suddenly shot forward, leering menacingly. "WOULD YOU?"

Soul sweatdropped.

"Ah hah, of course not! Don't be ridiculous! Do I look like the kinda guy who would beat up on an animal?"

Appeased, the giraffe nuzzled his cheek. "Good boy! Now go forth and commence Operation Sensitive Smexy Soul!"

He took this chance to beat a hasty getaway. Patty's suggestions might be worth a shot, but it was always dangerous to be the focus of the unpredictable weapon for too long. Just ask Black*Star. He still had nightmares about the time that...Soul shuddered. No, even thinking about that was enough to turn his stomach. He made it to his bike without further incident, and as he drove home, he wondered if it was a sign of his madness that he was taking lessons in wooing his meister from Patricia Thompson.

**-**** Just wanted to let everyone know that this is a four chap fic. Positive reviews speed up the updates, and if there is something you don't like, PLEASE READ TO THE END OF THE FIC! All flames will be accepted then, for the purpose of s'mores. Thanks to those who have already reviewed! And I don't own anything except for my original plot. Thanks to GlitterGoat for editing. **


	3. Chapter 3

Maka lay stretched out on her bed, dull gaze focused on the ceiling. This was not how she had pictured her afternoon going. After Soul had left, she had gone to her room to work on her list. She had finished it and was just about to review, when Blair had decided that now was the appropriate time to waltz in and drop an emotional bomb in Maka's lap. No, wait. That wasn't fair. She was the one who brought up the subject of Soul, and how they had known Blair. Before asking, she was only dimly aware that she had met Blair during a fight and hadn't liked her much. As Blair described the event, Maka had at first felt vindicated. Here was proof that Soul was just a two-timing liar like her father! She thought that finding that out would make her happy, would put her weapon in a safe little box o' stereotypes, where she wouldn't have to deal with him. But that tidy little image shattered like the smug smirk that had formed on her face when she found out how the battle had ended.

The same words that Soul had used this morning were repeated; only this time Maka was getting them in their original context. This was doing nothing to help her form an opinion of Soul. How could one person be so shallow one moment and deep the next? Unless Blair was lying, but Maka didn't think that was the case. So now here she was, glaring twin rays of death into her ceiling, trying to smother these fuzzy feelings for her weapon before they could fully form. What was her deal? This was so unlike her; she never intended to have these feelings for anyone at all, much less her partner! All she wanted was to remain comfortably numb in regards to the opposite sex. Now she was getting all...twitter-pated over a guy who happened to sleep RIGHT ACROSS THE DAMN HALL. How was this, in any way, fair? Maka was just going to have to put herself on an emotional lockdown and stop focusing on that fine, fine piece of ass...

"Yo, Maka! I'm back!"

'Yes, it's your back that's my problem...'

Maka facepalmed. She wasn't. Going. To go there. Steeling herself against all fluffy and pervy thoughts alike, Maka went out to face Soul. She found him in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. Bent over. Showcasing that firm, denim clad rump roast. Why? Was there no justice in this world? Maka whimpered. It must have been loud enough for Soul to hear, because his head shot up, smacking into the top shelf.

"Ow! Shit, that hurt." He pulled himself out, rubbing his scalp gingerly. "Are you alright? You made a weird sound."

Maka opened a cabinet door to block her face, under the pretense of searching for food.

"Ah, no, I'm fine. Just wondering what to cook."

Recalling Patty's words, Soul decided that now would be a good time to make a move. He came up behind Maka, reaching over her shoulder to move food around like he was looking for something specific. He felt her back stiffen, and if it hadn't been for the tiny gasp he heard, he would have pulled away. Instead, he stood on his toes, like he was trying to see the upper shelves, placing a hand on her shoulder for balance.

"You have any idea what you want to eat?" he asked casually, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She had that awkward, slightly stunned expression like someone suddenly finding a dog nose in their crotch. She hadn't hit him yet, which he took as a good sign. Soul held that position for as long as safely believable and then stepped away from her.

Maka breathed an inward sigh of relief, ignoring the underlying disappointment that he was no longer molesting her personal space.

"How about tacos? We need to use up the beef." She was proud of herself for being able to speak so calmly. She went to the fridge and pulled out the package of ground beef.

"Tacos sound good. I'll chop everything up if you cook the meat." He pulled on his blue apron as he spoke, and Maka was assaulted with mental images of him wearing nothing else, displaying those delicious buns perfectly...

"No! I mean," she spoke quickly, as he looked at her questioningly. "You don't need to help me. You can go and watch T.V. or something until its ready."

She scuttled around him, heading for the stove to prepare the meat. She expected him to leave, but he just took out the tomatoes and lettuce, and began to cut them up on the chopping board. Maka tried to ignore him, but she had to do a double take. Moving rapidly with skilled, practiced movements, Soul was slicing up the toppings. But he wasn't using a knife. Instead, he had transformed his hand into a blade, and was whipping through the food like a sushi chef at a five star restaurant. He must have felt her staring, for he looked up, though his hands never quit moving.

"What's up?"

"That's...an interesting use of your weapon form."

He gave a short bark of a laugh.

"Deathscythe, pianist, kitchenware. I'm a man of many trades. At least I'm better than those crap Japanese knives they sell on T.V."

Maka chuckled, going back to stirring the meat in the pan.

"Nice to know you're useful around the kitchen. You wouldn't happen to have a mixer attachment, would you?" she joked lightly.

Soul bit back the crude joke about beaters on the tip off his tongue. It was a liiiittle too soon to get that comfortable.

"No matter how amazing I am, it never seems to be enough for you. Fine. I understand if you're lookin' for a flashier partner." he spoke in a cheesy, over dramatic voice, and Maka would have found it funny, but it reminded her of the conversation she had had with Blair. She poked at the meat uneasily.

"Hey, Soul?"

"Yeah?" he answered, noticing the change in her demeanor.

"I was talking to Blair while you were gone. She told me about how we first met her. Do you remember?"

"Sure, what about it?"

"What you said back then...and today...I just wanted to say...thank you."

She ducked her head over the pan, her bangs hanging over her eyes. Soul shrugged as he scooped the toppings into individual bowls, walking by Maka to place them on the table.

"I meant it. Still do."

Finished with the food, he went to the sink. Passing her, he reached out to tug a pigtail to get her attention. When she faced him, he smiled.

"And you know, I've never regretted it." Not waiting for a reply, he removed the apron and hung it back up. "Be right back. I need to stick my phone on the charger."

Maka felt tears sting the back of her eyes, and she bit her bottom lip. She didn't want to be moved by his sweet words, by his tone of understanding. She didn't want to fall in love with someone she didn't even know. But she couldn't bring herself to say that she didn't want to know him...

XXXXX

Over the next few days, they fell into a rhythm. Maka would place herself in areas that triggered her attacks, with Soul there to make sure she didn't push herself too far. The rest of the time was spent getting to know him, with her asking questions about Soul and their past. And, unbeknownst to her, Soul was slyly implementing Patty's advice, slowly worming his way into her personal space. He had even found so many creative ways to whip off his shirt that if being a weapon ever failed to work out, then at least Soul knew he could make a living as a stripper. He had to admit though; it was pretty gratifying to watch Maka's reactions to his little shows. All those embarrassed squeaks she made were so adorable! And she turned nearly as red as his eyes, so much that Soul was afraid for her blood pressure. Sometimes, things would go so well, that he would forget that the situation didn't include a Maka with amnesia but then something would happen to snap Soul out of his good mood.

Then things changed. Slowly, their lack of progress began to wear them down. Neither one was a patient person. And as time passed and nothing seemed to work, tempers began to fray. Maka wasn't having anymore reactions, even in Soul's room. To make matters worse, since they weren't resonating, the pair had been banned from going on missions. School wasn't even a distraction because they were on a week long holiday. As their moods soured and they became edgier, they began to take their frustrations out on each other, finally escalating into a full blown fight.

It had started with Maka getting annoyed at his increasing familiarity, moved on to shouts of 'half naked manwhore' and 'uptight prude' to both of them sitting in sullen silence on opposite ends of the couch. With matching scowls, Soul and Maka would be looking anywhere but at one another. Stubbornly, neither one moved, as if leaving the room would be an admission of losing. They sat like this for a good hour and a half before Soul finally broke.

"Look, Maka, can we forget this whole thing ever happened? I'm sorry, okay, and I'll...I'll try to stay away from you if it bothers you so much."

He was unsuccessful at keeping the hurt out of his voice on the last part. She had been glaring at him from under her bangs, not wanting to forgive him so easily, but she softened when she saw how upset he was.

"It's alright. I'm sorry too, Soul. I've just been frustrated and I guess I overreacted a little. The things I said...I didn't really mean them, okay?"

The tenseness left his shoulders, and he gave her a small smile.

"Me either. Hey, at least it wasn't as bad as the time we used those damn candles of Stein's."

At her confused expression, his smile fell. One more thing she didn't remember.

Maka watched his face morph into sadness, and scooted closer to him, attempting to cheer him up.

"Hey," she said, lightly punching his arm, "What's wrong? You look like you've lost your best friend!"

At her words, he flinched, and she almost cried when he looked at her with sad puppy eyes. It took a moment, but then she understood what the matter was.

"Oh! Oh...um, you mean, I...Soul, I'm so sorry!"

He gave a sheepish laugh.

"Well, I still have Black*Star, I guess.."

Maka giggled.

"Wow, it's between me and Black*Star, huh? No wonder you're so desperate for me to get my memories back!"

Soul snorted.

"Ya think? Don't get me wrong, 'Star's my bro; it's just that sometimes he can just be so...so..."

"So Black*Star," finished Maka, nodding her head. "I know. That's the best and worst thing about him. He's always been like that, ever since we were kids. I can't remember him being any different."

They both froze at her words, and by the stricken look in his eyes, Maka knew that they were both thinking how much easier this would be if she had forgotten Black*Star instead of him.

Uncomfortable now, Maka stood.

"It's getting late. I'm going to go ahead and go to bed now. Good night, Soul."

"G'night."

She escaped to the sanctuary of her room, breathing a sigh of relief as her door closed behind her. Not long after, she heard the soft click of Soul's door from across the hall, signaling that he was in for the night. Maka began to pace around her room in mounting frustration; they couldn't go on like this, constantly at each other's throats, or worse, the way she kept inadvertently hurting him. As she pivoted to make another turn of her room, her eyes fell on a piece of paper that had fallen between her desk and her bed. Bending over to pick it up, she discovered it was the list she had been making a few days ago. As she scanned it, her eyes widened in excitement. Of course! The answer was here all along! She knew what they needed to do to move forward!

Soul had just slipped on his T-shirt, and was ready to go to bed when Maka exploded into his room, a victorious grin on her face.

"Maka! What the hell?"

"I know what we need to do!" she burst out gleefully.

"You...do?"

Soul could only think of ways his friends had encouraged him to deal with Maka's memory loss and her abrupt arrival into his bedroom had the impure cockroach-like thoughts scurrying across his brains in frenzy. So it came totally out of left field when, much to his disappointment, she pointed to the keyboard in the corner.

"I know it's not a piano, but its close enough. Tsubaki told me that you played for me the first time that we met. Maybe if you play it again..."

Soul groaned. He hated for anyone to hear him play. He didn't even know why he kept that stupid keyboard around in the first place.

"Maka, I really don't think that's such a good idea..." he trailed off, unable to resist that hopeful look in her eyes. Reluctantly, he went over and set up the accursed instrument, then pulled his desk chair over. Sitting down, Soul flexed his fingers over the keys.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked doubtfully.

Maka, standing at his side, nodded eagerly. "Yes! I'm sure this will help. I can feel it!"

Soul sighed, and despite his own reservations, he began to play.

As Soul pounded out the first few notes, Maka began to doubt that this would work. Maybe they should have gone to the school and replicated the scene? But about the fifth bar in, she felt a tingling at the base of her skull. Her vision blurred, then blacked completely. Like lightening, pictures flashed through her mind.

XXXXX

_One_

A hospital bed, Soul lying unconscious, face beaded with sweat as he screamed due to a nightmare, hands clenching and twisting the bed covers.

_Two_

Standing outside a door, listening to Soul talking to the school nurse about some kind of problem he was having, and feeling hurt and guilty.

_Three_

Balcony of Shibusen. It's a dance, and she's wearing a pretty dress. Next to her is Soul, leaning bonelessly over the rail in a pinstriped suit. He's being antisocial as usual, and being somewhat socially awkward herself, Maka has no clue how to get him to engage. Along with his usual apathy, she can tell he's hiding something from her, and it hurts. Aren't they partners? More than that, aren't they friends? She wants to do something to help him, needs to, really, to ease this horrible feeling of guilt and inadequacy churning in her stomach. He laughs her off, and she's torn between hitting him and crying when she's whisked off for a dance with her father.

_Four_

Italy. Running through the city at night, hunting down evil. The thrill of battle, adrenaline singing through her veins as she wields Soul with flawless precision, their souls resonating perfectly as they cut down the enemy. That lazy grin as he shifts from weapon form to saunter casually over to devour the soul, a thin trickle of drool on his chin as he smacks his lips.

_Five_

Still in Italy, the same night. A large church with gothic architecture, a fight where they find themselves horribly out of their depths. Pushed until there's nowhere left to run, unable to use Soul for fear he would be hurt worse than he already was. A sword over her head, arching downward to deliver the final blow. It never comes. The sound of an agony filled scream, but it's not hers. Soul, lying across her lap, with blood everywhere, seeping from his chest. There's too much, it won't stop flowing, the wound's too deep oh, gods nononono...

_Six_

She's floating in darkness, a mirror image of herself standing in front of her. The other her stares at her, and when she speaks it's as if her voice is coming from a great distance. "Hurry up! You need to remember!"

XXXXX

"...aka! Maka! Wake up, damn it! What's wrong? Fuck, I knew this was a bad idea! Come on, can you hear me?"

Maka can barely hear him over the sound of someone screaming, and it's only the pain in her throat that makes her realize that it's coming from her. She stops, and opens eyes that had become clenched closed. She was curled into the fetal position on Soul's bed, her hands gripping her head. Looking up, she was met with his terrified red eyes, wider than she had ever (as far as she could remember) seen them. He was hovering over her, an arm on either side of her body. Shakily she sat up, and he shifted more to the side to give her room.

"Maka? Are you okay now? What the hell happened?"

He had gotten wrapped up in playing, and hadn't noticed any sign that anything was wrong until Maka had let out a hair rising shriek, falling to the ground with her hands clutching at her head. He had leapt from the keyboard, lifting her up and placing her on the bed. The screaming had changed to begging, the word 'no' being repeated over and over. Just when he was about to give up and call Stein to come over, she had come out of it, large tears still rolling down her cheeks. Maka sat up, but he stayed where he was, unwilling to be too far from her. Getting worried that she wasn't answering him, Soul opened his mouth to repeat himself, when she turned to face him, eyes flat and guarded.

"Take off your shirt." she commanded, voice hoarse from screaming.

Well. That's not what he had expected.

"You want me to what? Earlier you were pissed that I was always takin' it off, and now you want me to-"

"Just do it, Soul." she bit out, eyes never leaving his chest.

Wordlessly he obeyed, getting a bad feeling. Pulling the shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor, Soul's suspicions were confirmed when she let out a low groan, raising a small hand to rest over his scar. Damn it, of all memories to get back, why this one? She had asked about the scar before, but he had managed to avoid answering. Now Maka was staring in sick fascination, her guilty expression one he hadn't seen on her in years.

Her fingers kept caressing the damaged tissue, and Soul fought back a shudder. Having her here in his bed with her hands running over his flesh was beginning to affect him. Now was not the time for that, even though he could hear the voices of his friends in his head screaming, 'comfort sex!' in unison.

One of his hands gripped hers, halting her movements. His other hand cupped her chin, forcing her to look at his face rather than his scar. Her eyes were twin green pools of sadness. Licking her dry lips, she whispered, "Your scar. It was my entire fault. I remember that now."

His grip on her hand tightened.

"No! It wasn't your fault, Maka! We've been over this a thousand times, and you know just as well as I do that-"

"No, Soul. It was my fault. And...there's nothing that you can ever say that would change my mind. I don't remember much, but I can say that for certain."

Soul let out a loud sigh of frustration.

"It doesn't matter what you believe; it doesn't change the fact there was nothing you could do. It was my choice to take that blow, Maka. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do the same thing. If we're ever in a situation like that again, I won't hesitate to die for you. The weapon protects the meister, you know that."

She buried her face into his chest and began to sob.

"Gods, Soul! I'm the worst meister ever. I don't know why you stay around when it's obvious I'm going to get you killed someday!"

He rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair in soothing motions.

"You could always get another weapon. Your dad made the offer, you know. Maybe you should try out someone else."

Maka reeled backwards at his words, a wide-eyed look of panic on her face.

"Is that what you want, Soul? Do you not want to be my partner anymore? Not that I blame you..." she asked in a small voice.

He pulled her back into him, hugging her tightly.

"Of course not!" Soul growled next to her ear. "I just hate seeing you like this. I thought if being around me was going to make you this miserable, you might be happier with a different weapon."

She craned her head back just far enough to look at him, then pushed her face back into his neck.

"You're my weapon, Soul. I wouldn't want any other. So please, don't talk about splitting up, okay?"

He closed his eyes, thankful she hadn't taken him up on his offer. It would have killed him, but if it had been what Maka wanted, then he would have done it. She shifted against him, and Soul felt the cold metal of the necklace pressing into his scar. Feeling exhaustion creeping over him, he rolled back, reaching one hand behind him to flick of the light, then situating himself around her more comfortably. She made as if to sit up, but he tugged her back into place.

"Soul, I can make it to my own bed. Let me up!"

He nuzzled his face into the hair on the top of her head, inhaling the smell of her shampoo.

"Nuh-uh. After all that, you're stayin' with me, just in case anything happens during the night."

"But I-"

"Nope," he cut off her feeble protests. "Get some sleep. I'm freakin' tired, and I wasn't the one floppin' around on the floor like a landed trout."

"But Soul-"

"I can't hear you. I'm asleep. Like you should be. Sleeeeep."

"Fine," she groused, wiggling in his grip. "But you take your life into your hands if you take my covers."

She felt him grin into her hair.

"Don't worry. I can keep you warm enough."

"Try anything funny, and I tell Black*Star about your pink blankie with the kittens on it." she growled.

"What the...I don't have anything like that!"

She giggled maliciously.

"You know that, and I know that, but we both know that he would believe it, and shout it from the school rooftops. So behave."

"Fine," he pouted. "I'll just keep my body heat to myself, then."

"Soul."

"What?"

"Sleeeeeep."

Muttering darkly about contrary meisters, Soul held her until her breath evened out, then allowed himself to follow her into sleep.

XXXXX

Maka woke up early the next morning, snuggled up against Soul's chest, his warm breath puffing down on her face. Their bodies were tangled together, and she tried to take stock of what belonged to whom. Starting with the arms. Hers were easy to account for. One was smooshed in between their bodies, while the other one was wrapped around his neck. Maka took a moment to guiltily run her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. It was thick and soft, just like she had imagined. Blushing, she pulled her hand away. Soul's arms were also easy to find; the left one was draped over her waist, holding her close. His right arm was under her like a pillow, she noticed with a wince, thinking how much that was going to hurt when all the blood rushed to it. The legs were harder to identify, as they were interlocked with each other. Maka gently pried one leg free and then froze. There was a body part pressed into her thigh and IT WASN'T HERS.

Hastily, she slithered free, her mega-watt blush increasing tenfold when Soul shifted in his sleep, slurring her name in a way that made her skin prick with goose bumps. Escaping from his bed, Maka made her way to the shower, with a quick detour to grab some fresh clothes. As the water cascaded over her body, she wished that it was as easy to wash away these feelings for Soul. Waking up in his bed this morning felt right and she knew, after those memories, that she didn't deserve that. Maka gave her head a hard shake. No. This was wrong. It had failure written all over it; a strong, independent meister falling for her handsome Deathscythe. She had seen how THAT story ended. She was not going to go down that road with Soul, even if being with him made her feel happy and safe and warm and fuzzy and that ass and- her head thunked into the tiles of the wall. Damn, this was going to be hard...

Much later, Soul also woke up. He rolled into the middle of his bed, disappointed but not surprised to find Maka gone. Holding her as they slept had been one of the most pleasurable sensations he'd ever had in his life. He had woken several times in the night, just to savor the closeness, the way her body fit so naturally with his. His thoughts had stayed surprisingly G-rated, right up until the moment she had slung a leg around his waist, grinding into him. That combined with the breathy whisper of his name nearly sent him over the edge, restraint becoming a literally painful thing. Soul managed, just barely, to keep from pressing himself between her thighs and making sure his hands didn't stray into dangerous territory. But he was only human, so he allowed himself to place one small kiss against her temple.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he stretched and gave a jaw-cracking yawn. Soul wasn't looking forward to breakfast. If he knew Maka, and he did, she was going to be awkward about last night. Resisting the urge to hide out in his room all day, he grabbed some clothes from the closet and slunk his way to the shower.

Yup. He had nailed it. Awkward, awkward, awkward. All of the awkward. Maka had avoided making eye contact with him at all, and any efforts he made at conversation were met with short, monosyllabic answers. He hadn't even tried for physical contact; any time he was close, she shied away like a skittish wild horse. He had to bite his lips to hold in the torrent of cursing. Why couldn't she have gotten a good memory back? Or at least a non-sucky one! He sat there on the couch, lost in his own brooding, moving only for meals. Expecting Maka to run off to her room after supper, he had jumped in shock when she stood in front of him, clearing her throat. He looked up at her silently, his expression questioning.

"Soul, we have school tomorrow. Have you done your homework?"

He rolled his eyes at her question. All this shit they were having to deal with and she was worried about homework. He loved the girl, but Maka was nerd squared.

"Yeah, I know. I'm already finished." he lied.

Her eyes narrowed, and the flush on her cheeks deepened.

"You're lying, I can tell."

He gave an indifferent shrug.

"Whatever. I'll finish it tonight."

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You better! I don't want my grades slipping just because you're lazy!"

She was all flustered like she used to get in the beginning of their partnership and Soul would have found it cute if it wasn't hurting him so much.

"I got it! Take a chill pill, tiny tits. Your grades are safe."

Maka gasped, taking a step back as her hands came up to cup her breasts protectively.

"My breasts are not tiny! They're not the size of Tsubaki's, but they. Are not. TINY!"

Soul nearly smacked himself. Maka was acting so much like her younger self that he had inadvertently regressed to his former, outdated insults. Crap. If this triggered memories of his juvenile behavior to add to last nights, then he was screwed.

"Maka, your tits are fine. I was just bein' stupid. Don't worry about it."

"Well, don't. When you say that, it makes me feel...I don't know, inadequate. For some reason, I feel like I need them to get bigger and that if they don't, I won't have a chance at...something I want. And that's stupid. What on earth could I possibly want that would have anything to do with the size of my breasts?"

Outwardly, Soul remained unmoved, but inside he felt a stab of guilt. He had never known that Maka had felt that way about his stupid comments. He had been young and insensitive, but he had never meant to hurt her. It's not like she had really been that tiny, just a bit slower than the other girls to develop.

"You shouldn't feel that way. Your tits are a good size. Great, actually, perky and firm and-WOULD YOU QUIT RUBBING THEM!" his nerves were shredding, and he had to grip the couch cushions tightly to keep from lunging forward to take over the massaging of her breasts, to show her just how fine Soul thought they were by licking and nibbling and sucking...arrrrgh! Mustn't. Let. Mind. Wonder.

Maka's hands dropped from where they had been rubbing comforting circles. She was embarrassed now. Gathering as much of her dignify as she could, she muttered a goodnight and sailed from the room, leaving a frustrated Soul.

As soon as she was gone, he slumped forward, face resting in his hands. That girl was giving him fits. Which rhymed with tits. Which he wanted to grip as he pounded into her from behind, with her crying his name in ecstasy- ARRRRGH! He stood unsteadily. Now he had that age old dilemma on his...hands. Which would it be: the lotion, or the cold shower? Either way, he thought as he weighed the pros and cons of his options, it was going to be a long night...

XXXXX

Things were still tense the next day, with the two barely speaking. Communication was brief and clipped, icy politeness over boiling hostility. Soul knew he should just let it go, that Maka had no idea what this was doing to him, but rationality was shoved out of the way by his feelings of pain and loss. How could you mourn for someone that was still there? He wasn't sure, but that was as close to defining his feelings as Soul could get. He was just glad that the ride to school was short; he couldn't stand this feeling of being together, yet so far away.

Walking slowly up the stairs behind her in his usual vantage point, he could only summon a little of the joy he usually experienced from the view of Maka's short skirt as it bounced and swayed, fluttering teasingly under the curve of her ass. Even the muscles of her legs flexing as she stomped towards the door didn't do much to cheer him up, and Soul barely forced himself to catch up with her once they were inside.

It was a good thing he did, because halfway down the hall her knees gave way, and if he hadn't grabbed her by the arm, she would have been trampled by the crowed of other students.

"What happened? I thought you were over the dizzy thing."

Soul guided her to the side of the hallway where there was less traffic, her body half slumped into his, Maka's face pale.

"I wasn't ready for it. It's not as bad as the apartment was, though. Just give me a few minutes to catch my breath and I'll be fine."

"Take all the time you need. I gotcha."

He tightened his arm around her waist, happy that she wasn't fighting against it.

"Soul, I was wondering, after the other night...is there anything else I should know? If I'm going to have memories like that, I'd like to be prepared for them."

For one brief, fleeting moment he considered spilling his guts, throwing caution to the wind and telling her how close they had come to being a couple. But he was afraid of how she would react, and frankly, he didn't think he could handle the rejection right now. Soul already felt like he was losing her, no sense in rushing it along.

"I don't think so. Nothin' comes to mind. Why, are you remembering anything else?"

"Not really. I get feelings sometimes, but they're kind of hazy, nothing I can pin down. I think I'll be fine now, just stay close when we get to class in case it happens again."

The crooked grin he shot her was forced.

"I'm always close. Even when you don't want me to be."

Maka stepped away from him, sensing his hurt.

"I'm sorry. I wish things could be different, Soul. Thanks for putting up with me; you're a really great partner."

Soul heard the underlying meaning of her words. Maka was trying to distance herself from him for some reason that he couldn't figure out. His shoulders fell as they went into the classroom, and before the dizziness could hit her, Soul propelled her over to her seat. She sank down, flashing him a grateful look. He had barely sat down himself when they were surrounded by their friends. They had left Maka and Soul alone ever since the day of their visit to Black*Star's and they were all curious to see how the pair was doing.

However, with one look at Soul's face and hunched shoulders, they knew things were not going well. Class started before they could begin their interrogations and it wasn't until lunch that they had any time to spare. Communicating wordlessly, it was decided that Kid and the Thompsons would talk to Soul, while Black*Star and Tsubaki tackled Maka. The first group went to sit by Soul, who was picking at his food listlessly. That left the other two to corral Maka, who was still in line with her tray. They swooped down, one on each side, steering her out the door and into another room before she had time to protest.

"You guys! I haven't even eaten yet! What is your problem?"

Tsubaki started, feeling like they needed to handle this delicately.

"Maka-chan, we couldn't help but notice that there seems to be a problem between you and Soul. Would you like to talk about it?"

Maka almost weakened at her friend's gentle tone, but shook it off. She had resolved not to tell anyone else what was wrong with her. They were all pushing for her to accept Soul, so she didn't think they would be pleased to learn that she planned to distance herself from him.

"There's nothing wrong that I can't handle. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to the cafeteria while there's still some food left." she stated coolly, making her way for the door. She got three steps when a muscled arm shot out in front of her face to slam a palm flat on the wall, blocking her exit.

"No. You ain't goin' anywhere until you tell us what the hell is goin' on. Now, confess to your god! Admit it, you've got some kinda stupid idea in that megabrain of yours and you're takin' it out on poor Soul. Right?"

Maka tried to dodge around him, anxious to avoid having to answer. It didn't work. The ninja grabbed her by the arm, whirling her around to plunk her in a seat.

Black*Star traded significant glances with Tsubaki. The fact that she wasn't fighting, combined with her guilty expression, put to rest any doubts that this might be Soul's fault. Black*Star narrowed his eyes.

"Just what did you do, Maka?" he asked softly.

She looked at everywhere but him, unable to meet his piercing gaze.

"Oh, Maka-chan..." Tsubaki sighed with disappointment. This was too much for the other girl.

"Fine! I got a memory back! Happy now?"

"That's wonderful Maka-chan! Which one?" Tsubaki squealed, clapping her hands.

Black*Star remained silent, having an idea where this was headed.

Maka bowed her head, speaking in a quiet voice.

"His scar. He played the piano for me the other night and that's what I remembered. Well, that and how much I suck as a meister."

Maka laughed bitterly at her attempt at joking. Tsubaki sat down in the chair next to hers, while Black*Star hopped up onto the table in front of them.

"So what? That happened years ago. You need to get over it already."

"Get over it? I almost got him killed! How can I get over that?" Maka spat out.

Tsubaki touched her arm, drawing her attention.

"I know you don't like hearing this, but that's part of what it means to be a weapon. The weapon protects the meister. Soul doesn't hold that against you."

"I know that," Maka gulped. "That just makes it worse. I don't know what to do…I can't let him get hurt, but I don't want another weapon, either! It's better if I don't get too close to him."

"Bullshit!" shouted Black*Star angrily, causing Maka's head to jerk up in surprise. "You're gonna do all this based off of one memory? Other stuff has happened since then! How do you think this is gonna make him feel?"

"He didn't even trust me enough to tell me what was wrong back when it happened! It's like he talked about it to everyone but me! He knew I'd be useless!"

"Are you really that stupid?"

"Black*Star!" snapped Tsubaki warningly, seeing that he was losing his temper. There was nothing to be gained by fighting, and he needed to keep his wits about him. He took a deep breath, slowly counting to ten in his head before speaking again.

"That may be how you remember it, but that's not true. Soul couldn't talk to you about it. It's not that he didn't trust you or nothin', but you got all sad and weird just lookin' at him. He was afraid that if you knew what he was goin' through, that it would make everything worse. And let's face it; if there's one trait you and Soul share, it's your sucky communication skills."

"Like you're any better." she growled, eeping when he shoved his face close to hers.

"I'd say that I am. It's not my weapon walkin' around like a beat puppy, now is it?" Black*Star said, matching her angry tone.

He was surprised when instead of pushing back, she deflated, a suspicious looking sheen gathering in her green eyes.

"You're right. Just one more sign that this has no chance of working."

He shook her gently by the shoulder.

"Hey, stop it. It's not like you to give up so easy! What gives girl?"

The tears that had been repressed finally spilled from her eyes as she tilted her head to look at him. She answered in a small, sad voice that didn't sound anything like the Maka they were used to.

"I'm afraid."

The words had barely left her mouth when she was yanked up into a crushing bear hug.

"Of course you're afraid! Who wouldn't be? But it's gonna work out, you'll see!"

He leaned back to look her in the face.

"Just promise me one thing, okay? Don't go makin' any permanent decisions until you get all your memories back. You didn't run away back then, so there's no reason to do it now."

"I guess..."

"C'mon, I wanna hear you promise."

"Alright. I promise, I'll wait."

"Good girl!" Black*Star beamed, releasing her. He headed for the door.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's get some lunch! I'm starvin'! You ready Tsubaki?"

"Coming!"

The tall girl turned to her friend before following her energetic meister.

"He's right, you know. Don't do something that I know you'll regret later. Now, stay here for a minute until you stop crying, then join us at the table with a smile! Soul always does better when you're happy."

Tsubaki patted her on the arm, then trotted to the door to join Black*Star. He held the door open for her, letting her go through first.

"Yo, Maka?"

She looked up, surprised to see one electric blue eye through the crack of the door.

"What?"

"Soul's not your dad."

She was left gaping as the door softly clicked shut. Sometimes, Maka forgot how perceptive he could be. Allowing a bit of time to pass as she calmed her nerves, she rejoined everyone back at their table. Lunch was almost over, and she felt her stomach rumble when she noticed that the lines were closed. She sat beside Soul, who passed her a tray without looking at her. It was a salami and cheese sub, her favorite sandwich, but it normally sold out early. Somehow, he had managed to snag her one. She scooted closer to him, bumping her thigh against his.

"Soul."

He looked at her, surprised at the contact.

"Thanks."

She smiled at him, and slowly his lips quirked up, not a full smile like she had seen before, but at least he wasn't looking as miserable as when she had last seen him.

"Hn. I know how grumpy you get when you miss lunch. It was purely self-preservation."

She rolled her eyes.

"You're dreaming if you think a sandwich is going to save you. If you don't pass the test we have later, I'm gonna chop the hell out of you."

Soul just snorted. He didn't know what had happened while she had been gone, but he was glad that she was acting half way normal. The others were unusually quiet, their conversations staying on safe subjects for the remainder of the meal.

XXXXX

The rest of the day went smoothly, both parties struggling to maintain a front of normalcy. As they walked down the stairs and across the parking lot, they remained unaware of the several pairs of beady eyes watching them with malicious glee. Soul's fangirls had detected a rift in the couple, and seeing their chance to snag Soul, they were eager to pounce. Tomorrow, each girl individually vowed, they would make their move.

XXXXX

That night, while Soul carefully brushed his fan-teeth, he mentally reviewed the day. It had started off as crap, escalated to shit, dropped back down to meh, and now was currently hovering around tolerable. Bending over to spit, he caught sight of Maka's reflection in the mirror. She was hovering in the doorway indecisively, as if unsure whether to come in or go away. When she saw that he had noticed her, that seemed to make up her mind and she came in to sit on the side of the tub. She open and closed her mouth a few times, not knowing what to say now that she was actually here. She finally settled on, "You know, brushing isn't enough. You really should floss."

Soul cocked a brow. Never breaking eye contact, he pulled the dental floss from the cabinet, flicking the small plastic container open to unravel a length of floss. He placed it in between two teeth and began to work it back and forth. On only the second pass, it snapped. He repeated the process three more times, causing Maka to laugh.

"Maybe you should try wire instead?"

"Yeah, because lacerated gums are the height of oral hygiene."

Maka watched him as he pulled out the bottle of mouthwash, still snickering to himself. Standing, she started past him on her way out. She placed a hand on his bicep, feeling it tense and flex under the warmth of his skin.

"Soul...about today. I'm sorry that it...well...that it..."

"Sucked like the lead chick in a cheap porno?" he finished helpfully.

"Yes. That. I'll try to do better. Black*Star and Tsubaki told me to wait until I get some more memories back before I do anything stupid. I know they're right, it's just that the ones that I got the other night really freaked me out."

"Memories, plural? I thought it was just the one." Soul asked in confusion.

"They were all related. How we ended up in Italy, watching you have nightmares, and talk to Medusa, and..." she trailed off, remembering the hurt she had experienced.

"What else?"

"Why didn't you tell me about it? You told Medusa, for deaths sake, but you wouldn't talk to me! You called me an unreliable partner, and—and…"

"Whoa! Hold on there! Let's get a few things straight. One: I was confused and afraid at the time; I had no idea what was wrong with me. Two: you were already beating yourself up over the whole thing; you wouldn't even look at me. I didn't want to make you feel even worse. Three: I only said anything about it to Medusa because I thought she was a fuckin' nurse and might be able to help. Four: when I said you were unreliable, I was just trying to keep you distracted. I'm not the best when it comes to opening up about things, and I was even worse when I was younger. So listen to the others, okay? There are much better things for you to remember if you hold on."

While he had been speaking, he had kept inching her closer, until he had Maka in a loose hug, his cheek resting against hers. Soul half expected her to run, but she only spoke softly, the words tickling his ear, making him shiver pleasantly.

"You promise?"

"I promise. Give it a chance. I won't let anything bad happen, alright?"

She returned the hug, and Soul would almost swear that he felt her lips on his neck for a brief moment. All he could do was stand there with a dumb grin on his face, as she headed to her room for the night. For the first time in days, he felt as if things were looking up, that they might actually be headed in the right direction. He hummed happily as he crawled into bed, forgetting that life loved to watch you eat dessert before telling you that dessert WASN'T CHOCOLATE PUDDING.

XXXXX

"...And you can order whatever the hell you want for supper! I'm not hungry!" Soul bellowed as he slammed his bedroom door shut. He kicked off his shoes and threw himself down on the bed. His blood was boiling, and he had nothing to take it out on. And to think, he had thought yesterday had sucked! He cackled into his pillow. If he wasn't careful, he was going to stir up the black blood. Struggling for control, he tried to pinpoint exactly when he felt the centrifugal force pulling him down the crapper.

The day had started out well, much better than the previous one, chatting in a relaxed manner throughout breakfast, and the ride to school had been pleasant. On arrival, they had walked to their lockers side by side, discussing a movie that they wanted to see that weekend. Ah. Yes. Right there. The lockers, that's where it began. His head still turned towards Maka in mid-sentence, he had opened the door of his locker, only to be almost swept away by the tidal wave of letters that poured out. Cursing, he kicked them out of his way, planning on leaving them on the floor as usual. But Maka had bent over and started to pick them up, a frown marring her face as she scanned the envelopes.

"What are these? They look like...love letters or something."

"Some of 'em are." he groaned, not wanting to deal with this mess. "Others are partnership requests. Dunno why they've picked back up again. Just ignore 'em and they'll die back down."

"So this is a normal occurrence?" she asked stiffly.

"Meh. It's pretty much been this way since I became a Deathscythe."

"I see." she turned to go to class, the twin demons of jealousy and insecurity poking her uncomfortably.

Soul darted in front of her, doing his best to minimize the damage.

"Look, I don't even read them! I'll say it over and over again till I'm blue in the face; I'm not interested in havin' any other partner besides you! It's not my fault that they don't listen to me. Don't get so worked up over it. I'm right where I wanna be, and no stupid letter is gonna change that."

Maka stared at him, doing her best to discern any hint of deception. Unable to find any, she gave him a small smile. She supposed it was only natural that he received so much attention; he was a Deathscythe after all.

"You're right. It's just a shame that so many trees had to die in vain."

He laughed at her dry statement as they walked into class, thinking he had dodged a bullet.

**WRONGO!**

Apparently the letters hadn't been enough, because every female lurker Soul had, chose that day to make face-to-face confessions. Everywhere he turned, another pair of tits was shoved in his face, every chick over a B cup flaunting their assets. There were mounds of flesh jiggling and bouncing in all directions, drowning him in a sea of mammaries. Now he knew what it felt like to be Bill Cosby in the jello-jiggler's commercials. They leaned over his desk to coo at him, telling Soul in high, sickly sweet voices how wonderful and amazing he was. In the hallways, they insinuated themselves between him and Maka, cutting her off from any conversation. He tried to brush them off as politely as he could, but they didn't seem to get the hint. What could he say?

'Sorry ladies, you've got nice tits, but the pair I've set my sights on are attached to the sinfully flexible body of my meister, who is at this moment glaring six kinds of death at us?'

Soul didn't think so.

He wasn't stupid. He knew this sudden attention wasn't a coincidence; they had figured out that something was off with him and Maka, and they saw their chance to capitalize on it. Sadly, Maka herself hadn't a clue, and Soul watched in mounting frustration as she became angrier, growing colder and more distant with him. By the time the final bell rang she was barely civil and she had stormed out of the building while his back was turned, almost leaving him behind. He ran to catch up with her, grabbing her by the arm to slow her down.

"Why the hell did you leave me like that?"

"Oh, you noticed? I'm surprised. It looked like you had your hands full. Or that they were about be soon." she hissed, eyes slitting dangerously.

"Did I look like I was enjoying myself? I thought they were going to eat me alive back there!"

"I'm sure. And they would have been ecstatic to have you return the favor!" she twisted out of his grip, stalking off towards the street.

He grabbed her again.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"Home!"

"Then get on the bike!"

"I'm perfectly capable of-"

"Just get on the damn bike!"

"Fine!"

XXXXX

She still hadn't cooled off by the time they had gotten and now Soul was in his room, fighting the urge to punch a hole in the cheap walls. He was at his wits end; he didn't know what to do anymore. If Maka didn't get her memories back soon, he was afraid she was going to leave him. For about the thousandth time since this whole mess started, Soul felt his heart break a little more.

In her own room, Maka was faring no better. Despite her intentions to not allow herself to fall for Soul, watching all those girls throw themselves at him made her realize how hypocritical she was being. Oh, she had talked big yesterday about not going down that road, but now she was unable to lie to herself. Even though Maka barely knew him, and no matter how hard she fought it, she had developed romantic feelings for her weapon.

That was bad enough, but watching all those busty girls vie for his favor brought something to her attention with crystal clarity. Now she knew exactly why that tiny tits comment had bothered her so much. That was something he probably used to call her all the time. Soul preferred big busted girls, and while she wasn't lacking, she clearly wasn't in the size range of most of the other girls in the school. It all made a sick sort of sense; she had wanted larger breasts to win his affection. Something she had no chance of getting since, as they say, her cups did not runneth over.

All of that talk about the soul being what's important had been nothing but meaningless words. Her friends were wrong; Soul was just like her father, only interested in a woman for her body. It pissed her off that even knowing this, she still wanted him to choose her...turning onto her side, she curled around her pillow, using it to muffle her sobs.

XXXXX

That was Tuesday. By Friday, the anger, resentment, and hurt feelings were at critical mass, and Soul knew that if they were to actually attempt resonating, the resulting explosion would obliterate the entire state of Nevada. They hadn't spoken for three days, avoiding each other so much that it was almost like living alone. His groupies had kept pressing their advantage, escalating the flirtatious behavior to the point where Soul was almost sick. He was a private, laid back sort of person, and this level of intense pursuit that he was under was driving him crazy. No matter how blunt he was, they just seemed that much more determined to win him over.

It figured; a flock of girls wouldn't leave him alone, and the only one Soul wanted to be with was treating him with the revulsion usually reserved for those who clubbed baby seals to death. The atmosphere had gotten so poisonous that their friends had declared that they were staying away until Soul and Maka got their issues resolved.

He trudged to his locker to grab his backpack at the end of the day, standing by Maka, whose only acknowledgement of his presence was a stiffening of her back. He stood there, knowing he should just head home, that she would come on her own like she had been doing, but he couldn't summon the energy to move.

That inertia cost him dearly, for right when Maka turned his way, a curvy brunette stepped up to his side, her chest thrust out prominently. This had been happening so often that he was fairly detached from the sight, only noting clinically that if she didn't start wearing bras with the proper support soon, then she only had a few years before the tits succumbed to gravity.

"Hello, Soul! I'm glad I got this chance to talk to you. There's been something I've been meaning to ask."

Did she just...purr? Really? Did this girl just try to purr at him? He'd gotten used to the 'sultry kitty' routine ages ago thanks to living with Blair. SHE knew how to purr. This girl's attempt left him cold. He didn't even bother to reply, just waited for her to get this over with.

"I've noticed that you haven't taken up anyone on their requests. Don't you think it's time that you found a meister that knows how to…" seeing that Maka was watching, she played it up, pressing her breasts into Soul's arm, while running a hand up his chest "…handle you properly?"

The double meaning wasn't lost neither on Soul nor on Maka, who, with a wordless snarl of rage, slammed her locker door and stalked down the hall and out the door.

"Was it something I said?"

Busty brunette's remark was said oozing with false innocence, large brown eyes gazing up at Soul.

He sucked in a shaky breath through his teeth, eyes sparking with anger. He had had it; that was the final straw. He advanced on her, slowly and menacingly, careful not to touch her but making sure his displeasure was clear.

"You know damn well what you did. You and your stupid little friends."

Soul growled low in his throat.

"I've told you people over and over again and now I'm through with being nice. Listen closely so you can take this back to the others; I want all of you to summon the two collective brain cells that you have among you and wrap them around this. I'm not leaving Maka. Ever. She's my meister, and always will be. As for whatever else you're trying to sell…" he scanned her body up and down, putting as much disdain into the look as possible "…I'm not buying."

He spun away from her and headed for the exit, leaving her spluttering behind him.

XXXXX

When Soul got home, he wasn't surprised to find that he had beaten her home. She was walking on foot and his foot had been like lead while he was driving the bike. An hour passed, then two, but he still wasn't worried. She was probably cooling down somewhere. Eleven came, then midnight. Soul began to watch the clock, the hands ticking by slower than he felt like they should. One 'o clock and he began to pace up and down the hall. When Soul heard the chimes ring two thirty, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door, ready to track her down, sick with dread. His hand was reaching for the knob, when the door opened and Maka strolled in like nothing was wrong. She brushed past him on her way to the kitchen, not even sparing him a glance. He followed; anger evident in his words.

"It's after two in the morning! Where the fuck have you been?"

Maka glanced over her shoulder as she pulled a glass from the cabinet, filling it with water from the sink. Leaning back against the counter, she took a sip before answering him.

"I know what time it is. I didn't think that I needed your permission to stay out, Papa." she drawled, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Don't. Call me that." he hissed, fists clenching when she only shrugged carelessly.

"I was worried about you, damn it! Anything could've happened to you! Why didn't you come home?"

"I thought you'd be too busy to notice. Weren't you supposed to be being...handled properly?"

"Is that what this is about? You've gotta be kidding me! In case you haven't noticed, Maka, it's those girls who've been after me, not the other way around! I haven't done anything wrong, but you're treating me like absolute shit! You don't talk to me, you avoid me whenever you can...It's like you've just given up on us!"

"What _us_, Soul?" she asked icily. "Tell me the truth. Before I lost my memories, were we dating?"

He was taken aback. To him, what they shared wasn't that easy to define. No, they hadn't really been dating, per se, but had been so much more than that. However, honesty forced him to admit the absolute truth.

"No. We weren't dating. I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Nothing. It's not like I'd go out with a womanizing creep like you anyways!"

Suddenly, he was nose to nose with her, almost causing the glass to slip from her fingers in shock.

"I don't know where you get off spouting these preconceived ideas about me when you won't even resonate with me. If you did, you would know that that's not the kind of guy I am."

Maka leaned back, needing to put some space in between them. She couldn't let him know how much the thought of resonating with him terrified her; she was so confused about what to believe concerning him and she knew her feelings would be raw and exposed to him in their wavelength.

"I can't resonate with you right now! You know that!"

"Can't, or won't, Maka?"

"We don't know what would happen! It could increase the curse, or even transfer it to you!"

He paused to consider her reasoning.

"It would be worth the risk if there was a chance we could go back to normal." he said softly.

Maka squirmed at his tone, wanting desperately to believe the small voice in the back of her head that was urging her to let go and trust him. But memories of her mother's tear stained face, and the girl hanging on Soul today wouldn't stop haunting her. So she tossed the voice in a box, locked it and swallowed the key.

"I don't need to resonate with you to know that you're just like my father." she sneered.

A look of intense pain flashed across Soul's face, his expression hardening.

"And you're just like your mother; always running away." his voice was filled with venom.

She pushed him aside roughly.

"You bastard! That's it; I'm not dealing with this anymore tonight!"

She darted out of the room, leaving him to slide to the floor with his back against the counter, cradling his head in his hands. He never should have snapped at her like that but he'd let his temper and hurt get the best of him. Her mother was a delicate subject, and he knew that by throwing her in Maka's face like that, he had most likely run her off for good. Sitting there on the cold kitchen tile, he felt the last vestiges of hope drain from him and for the first time, he faced the very real possibility of a future without Maka.

XXXXX

Late the next morning, an insistent beeping noise yanked Soul out of his sleep. He sat up blearily, trying to find the source of his irritation. Exhaustion made him move sluggishly. He didn't even remember how he had gotten to bed last night or what time he finally fell asleep. All he knew was that it was twelve hours too early for him to be awake. Rooting under his pillow, Soul pulled out his cell phone; it had somehow become wedged there. Expecting to find a text message, he was momentarily confused to find it was a…calendar reminder. Seeing what day it was, he sprang from the bed, flying around his room in a mad panic. He had totally lost track of time! Tomorrow was Maka's birthday, and the present he had arranged for her was today! Even if she now hated him, he knew that she would want this present. Now all he had to do was convince her.

Making sure that the laptop was set up at his desk and ready to go, he threw a T-shirt over his head and headed out to find Maka. A glance at her open door told him that she wasn't in her room, so he made his way to the living room.

She was sitting on the couch, wearing a pair of denim short-shorts with a black spaghetti strapped shirt that was covered in neon colored splashes. Lime green converse sneakers were being laced up, signaling that she was going out. He leaned against the door jamb, clearing his throat to get her attention. She finished tying the shoe and sat up to look at him over the back of the couch.

"Did you want something?"

He let out the breath he had been holding. At least she was talking to him.

"Ah, uh...yeah. If you're not busy, could you come to my room for a minute?"

Shaking her head, she stood up.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Look, I'm headed out for a while. I'll be back later to night." she spoke quietly, her voice lacking any emotion.

Shoving her wallet and phone into her pockets, she was halfway to the door when Soul spoke again.

"Wait! It's your birthday present! You really, really need to see it."

Her hand was on the knob.

"I'll look at it tonight. Frankly, I don't even understand why you would still want to give me anything. I left some money on the counter for supper, since it was my turn to cook supper. Bye."

She had one foot out the door when Soul made a final plea.

"It won't be here tonight! Look, it's gonna happen in..." he checked the clock, "less than four minutes. If you come now, I promise I'll leave you alone. You can even take your dad up on his offer for a partner reassignment and I won't say anything. Please? It was really hard to get."

Maka looked at his big red puppy eyes, allowing herself to weaken. It seemed as if he had gone through a lot of trouble and if he was still willing to give it to her after last night, then the least she could do was go see what it was.

"Fine. I'll take a quick look, but then I'm leaving."

"That's all I ask. Come on, it's about to start."

He led the way to his room, tamping down the hurt that she didn't deny the fact she was going to find a new weapon. When he had planned this present, he had been hoping for squeals of joy and surprise, a hug and maybe even sneaking a kiss in all the excitement. Now, he just wished it would be enough to stay in her good graces so that she wouldn't leave him. Arriving in his room, he motioned her to the desk.

"Have a seat. You have less than two minutes to wait. I'll just...go sit in the living room for a while."

"Soul? What is this?"

Maka wasn't sure what kind of present she could be getting on a computer. She watched in confusion as he smiled at her sadly.

"Just something I pulled together. It was supposed to be a surprise."

His eyes were drawn to her necklace, where her fingers were tugging on the chain. It had been bugging him for a week, the way she would play with the charms, sliding the blade of the scythe along her lips whenever she was concentrating. She didn't have any clue to its significance and his heart would throb in pain each time the light glinted off of the metal mockingly.

"Stop pullin' on it. You're gonna break the chain. Why don't you take it off for a while?"

Maka dropped the chain, surprised that she had even been touching it.

"Of course I'm not going to take it off! It's the most important thing I own!" she said indignantly, not noticing the way he sucked in his breath and flinched.

"Then be careful, or you'll weaken the chain. It could slip off, and you'll never notice you lost it."

He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Maka tilted her head in confusion, wondering why Soul's voice had sounded so strangled. Before she had time to contemplate further, the image on the screen flickered, drawing her attention. She almost couldn't believe what she saw.

**Here it is, the second to last chapter! Thank you to those who have reviewed. And for those who have flames, wait until the last chap, please. Once again, I own nothing; I merely manipulate the characters for the pleasure of my own twisted mind. Hope you (review) enjoy! Edited by GlitterGoat**


	4. Chapter 4

"Mama!"

Her squeal echoed in the room and the blond lady on the screen smiled in response.

"Hello, Maka. Happy Birthday!"

Maka bounced around excitedly, unable to contain her joy. She had wanted to see her mother for years and after the disappointment of being told that she wasn't going to make it for her birthday, Maka had nearly given up hope.

"I'm so glad to see you! But what are you...how did you...how did this happen?!"

The older woman smiled, her green eyes twinkling.

"He didn't tell you? Well, he did say he wanted it to be a surprise. Your partner did all of this for you, after I told you I couldn't make it."

"Soul did this? Why?"

"When he saw how upset you were, he went to your father and demanded him to contact me right away. They fought for a bit, but Spirit eventually gave in. They managed to get ahold of me and that weapon of yours proceeded to rip me a new one."

This was said with much amusement, but Maka immediately became upset.

"How dare him! He had no right to talk to you like that!"

Kami instantly sobered.

"Maka, he was right. I've been a pretty lousy parent, and he called me out on it. I haven't been there when you've needed me and that was wrong. Soul made me promise that if I couldn't come to you, then I needed to stay in better contact. I agreed and I'm making sure that this becomes a weekly thing. Don't be mad at him, honey. He did all of this because he couldn't stand to see you hurting."

Maka bent her head at her words, tears spilling down her cheeks. Kami's eyes narrowed; her motherly intuition might be rusty, but it was still there and it told her that there was something very wrong.

"Maka? Is there something you need to talk about? Spirit and Shinigami-sama told me about what's happened with your memories. Does it have anything to do with that?"

"I don't understand! Why would he do that for me? I'm such a lousy meister; there are plenty of others that he would be better off with! And I've been pretty awful to him lately."

Her mother was silent for a moment and then gently said, "Maka. That boy...he's in love with you. Don't you know that? He would do anything for you. Fight for you, die for you, hell, he willingly faced your father for you! It's written all over him and I can't imagine you could miss it while resonating!"

Maka spoke meekly, looking up through her bangs.

"Mama, I think I may have messed things up..."

Kami listened intently as her daughter narrated the events of the last two weeks, admirably restraining herself from face-palming over Maka's behavior. That boy had been right; she and Spirit had done a fantabulous job of screwing over their child. Her blaring insecurity and fear of betrayal were like punches to Kami's gut, but right now wasn't the time to wallow in guilt. She needed to put on her mommy panties and help her daughter sort out the clusterfuck she was in.

"Maka, the first thing you need to do is apologize. From what you've told me, it sounds as if he has shown no interest in these girls whatsoever, much less encouraged them. Honey, he's not your father and it's not fair to make Soul suffer for Spirit's faults. Then, if he's still willing, you need to try resonating. I know it's risky, but I have the feeling that whatever is blocking the curse will protect Soul too."

"You're right. I'm going to go talk to him now, if that's alright?"

"No, you go ahead. This is very important and you should take care of it as soon as possible. Like I said earlier, I'll be keeping in touch with you much better from now on, so we'll have plenty of time to talk then. I love you, hon. Have a happy birthday!"

"I love you too, Mama! I'll talk to you next week!"

She went to the living room, following the sound of music coming from the radio. It was familiar, and was tugging at her, drawing her in closer. Maka stopped just outside the doorway, hesitant to go in. She had a good view of Soul, who was half stretched out on the couch, his face partially blocked by the hand that was propping his head on the armrest. She opened her mouth, which was suddenly very dry and tried to quiet the buzzing in her head. Before she could form words, Soul began to sing along quietly to the radio. Maka strained her ears to catch it, the hairs on the back of her neck rising at the words.

"...Keep me stuck inside your head, like your

Favorite tune

And know my heart is a stereo that only plays

For you

I only pray you'll never leave me behind

Because good music can be so hard to find

I'll take your hand and hold it closer to mine..."

Maka watched in morbid fascination as his voice trailed off brokenly and a single, glistening tear rolled down his cheek. Her head began to pound, and she backed out of the doorway to dizzily stagger to her room. She managed to get the door closed, before leaning into it as she slid to the floor, body jerking and convulsing. This was the worst attack yet; the world was spinning madly, her vision going from blurry to black, lungs feeling like they were about to explode. Panting heavily, she was dimly aware of the way that her necklace burned against her chest, almost hissing as it seared the tender skin. Consciousness fled her body, and for a brief time, the pain mercifully receded.

Once more, Maka found herself floating in darkness, her mirror image standing in front of her, a look of rage upon her face. She glared at Maka, angry tears rolling down her face.

"Hurry up! You have to remember!"

The image's voice was harsh, but much clearer than it was the last time.

"What? I've been trying! I just can't do it!" Maka wailed desperately.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears; if anything, it only made the other her more furious.

"You're hurting him! You have to remember right NOW!"

Maka had never wondered what it was like to be on the other end of one of her chops, but now she knew. She had no time to retaliate, as image after image burst forth before her eyes, a kaleidoscope of Soul themed fireworks.

XXXXX

_One_

Soul, playing an eerily beautiful piece on a piano, stating defiantly, "This is the kind of guy I am." Shaking hands with her afterwards, sealing their partnership.

_Two_

A mission gone wrong, both of them leaning on one another as they staggered into the apartment, heading to the bathroom to patch each other up. She tried to shrug off his fussing, feeling embarrassed at being so exposed while he doctored her ribs. Her cheeks flush a bright pink when he mutters, "Sit still and let me fix this! You have such nice skin; it'd be a shame if you didn't take care of it." She had stilled at that, a rare compliment on her appearance from the boy who usually hassled her about her tits. Or lack of.

_Three_

Maka walked out of the school one day after staying late to do research for some homework in the library. It was supposed to be a two person assignment but Soul had bailed on her, saying he would do his part later. She stomped outside, muttering angrily about lazy partners, her irritation growing when Maka realized she was going to have to walk home in the rain. She started for the street, nearly shrieking when something was thrown over her head. She clawed it off; searching for her attacker, when she realized it was a leather jacket.

"Put that on. It'll keep you from gettin' soaked any more than you already are." he said gruffly from her side.

"Soul! What are you doing here! I thought you left hours ago!"

"Like I'd actually leave you to walk home in the rain alone? That would be uncool. Come on, the bike's this way."

Maka followed him, a small smile on her face as she watched the rain plaster his clothes to his body, his jeans molding to his butt to showcase it nicely.

_Four_

Soul grinning at her from the blade of his weapon form, ready for a fight.

_Five_

Soul, sprawled out on the couch asleep, mouth slightly open and boxers riding low on his hips, the contours of his muscles evident in the moonlight.

_Six_

Soul, laughing over something stupid Black*Star had done.

_Seven_

Soul, holding her close and rubbing her back after a nightmare.

_Eight_

Soul, under her on the couch, tongues tangling together as hands roamed over heated flesh, grinding in to each other, the mingled feelings of love and lust almost overwhelming.

Faster and faster, images began to flit by, all of them with Soul as the central figure, each memory a tiny treasure. He was everywhere, grinning at her with those lazy red eyes and shark teeth exposed in a perpetual smirk.

XXXXX

Maka woke up; finding herself lying on her back in the middle of her room, tears streaking down her face. Sitting up, she took a moment to let the dizziness fade and slowly stood, her body feeling like a giant over-cooked noodle. Glancing under the neck of her shirt, she was relieved to find that there was no mark from the strange burning sensation she had had. Shrugging it off, she decided to think about it later. Maka opened her mouth to call for Soul, but quickly snapped it shut. He had been wonderful these last few weeks and she had treated him horribly. Shouldn't she do something special for him, something to show how much she cared and how sorry she was?

Her eyes wondered to her closet, where they came to rest on the silver garment bag that contained her party dress. The gears in her brain began to turn, remembering what Tsubaki had forced her to buy to wear under it. A plan quickly forming, she grinned wickedly. She just needed to have a little chat with her friends and everything would work out nicely. Luckily, that was where she had been heading this morning, to go over a few details for her party. She bounced to her feet, feeling lighter than she had in days. Now, all she had to do was manage Soul...

Soul jerked out of the doze he had fallen into at the sound of his name being called.

"Huh? Wha? Oh, Maka...You have a nice time with your mom?" he asked, fighting back a yawn. He nearly swallowed his teeth when she hurled herself onto his lap, arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Soul! That was the most awesome thing ever!"

He kept himself very still, wondering if he could discreetly pinch himself to see if he was awake.

"Glad you liked it so much...Are you still…pissed at me?" he asked, not daring to believe his luck.

Leaning back, she looked at him guiltily.

"Oh, Soul...I'm so sorry. I've been such a bitch to you this whole week, and you haven't even done anything wrong...comparing you to my father was a low blow. I guess losing my memories was more stressful than I thought and I just took that out on you. I'm so sorry! Can you forgive me?"

Soul gingerly placed his arms around her waist, expecting his newfound sprout of hope to be yanked out by the roots.

"S'alright. You _have_ been under a lotta stress, and I said some things I shouldn't have, too, so-"

Maka's fingers on his lips stopped his flow of words.

"No. You've been bending over backwards for me this whole time and I've fought you every step of the way. But if you'll give me one more chance, I promise I won't screw it up this time. So, will you?"

Not able to speak with her fingers still over his mouth, Soul gave a small nod, and she brought her arms back around his neck for another hug.

He clutched her to him, not wanting to let go. He didn't know what had caused this sudden change, and frankly, Soul didn't care. All he knew was that he had another chance and he was so happy, he could almost cry. Maka felt so good in his lap, almost too good, and just as he was beginning to worry about a certain problem that was about to...arise, she shifted off of his lap.

"So, are you still coming to my party tomorrow?" she asked, smiling at him.

"I have to get dressed up, don't I?" he groaned.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad! You don't have to wear the suit jacket or a tie."

"Meh. Fine. I guess since it's your birthday, it can't be helped. But I'm not spending one more second in those clothes than I absolutely have to." he warned.

Maka cackled internally. Oh, if he only knew...

"Good! I just need to run over to Kid's real quick. I promise I'll be back in time for supper, okay?"

He arched an eyebrow.

"Thought you said you were gonna be late to tonight?"

She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Heh. That was when.., well, never mind. Forget it. I'll pick up some tacos on my way home."

"I could go with you, if you want."

"Nope. You have homework to finish, since you won't be able to work on it tomorrow night."

"Alright. I'll get that outta the way while you're gone. Sure you don't need a lift?"

Maka sprang from the couch, eager to be gone.

"I'm good. Thanks, though. See you later!"

XXXXX

Karma truly is a bitch, Maka thought later. She had gotten nasty with Soul about the girls that fawned over him with their huge breasts, refusing to believe that he didn't enjoy it. Now, being smothered by three pairs, she was more sympathetic to his plight. Upon receiving the news that her memories were intact, Maka was instantly glomped by her female friends, Kid and Black*Star wisely staying out of the fray.

"Guys! Can't...breathe!" she gasped.

"Oh! Sorry, Maka-chan! I guess we got a little carried away."

They backed off of her and she gratefully sucked in lungfuls of sweet, sweet air.

"I'm sure Soul is pleased as well. In fact, I'm surprised he isn't here now." commented Kid.

"I actually haven't told Soul yet. I was waiting till tomorrow after the party."

At their stunned silence, she hurried to explain her thoughts.

"I wanted to do something special! He's been so wonderful through all of this, he deserves SOMETHING."

Five heads cocked to the right, their voices in perfect unison.

"Birthday sex?"

Maka face-palmed, answering through gritted teeth.

"Yes, that too. But I obviously don't need your help for that, so just listen to my plan and be ready to play dumb tomorrow."

It only took a few minutes to outline what Maka wanted and everyone was eager to help. So eager, in fact, that none of them noticed the wicked grin that kept slipping across Black*Star's face...

XXXXX

"Come on, Maka! You're gonna be late for your own party if you don't hurry up!" yelled Soul, pacing the length of the living room. He didn't understand what was taking her so long. He had waited till the last possible moment to change into his outfit, which consisted of black dress pants and a dark blue button down shirt, with the top few buttons undone and the sleeves pushed up on his forearms. Add to that a black leather belt and matching dress shoes and he was done. Soul glanced at his watch, preparing to yell again, when he heard the clicking of shoes coming down the hall.

The moment he saw her, all thoughts of yelling and time constraints left his head, and all that came out of his mouth was a small, 'hurk' of surprise. The green dress Maka wore suited her body perfectly, accentuating her delicate curves. It was stunning, but what had him fighting to keep all the blood in his body from gushing out his nose was the shoes. Thin straps encased her feet with long, gold ribbons crisscrossing up to just under her knees, bringing to mind every dirty fantasy Soul had had about those legs and how she could bend them around his body. Rapidly, he began to calculate how many bathrooms breaks he could get away with at the party, realizing quickly that it wouldn't be as many as Soul needed

"Soul? Do I look okay?"

Maka's words drew his attention to her face, forcing him to admit that she was quite attractive north of the neck, too. Her hair was down, styled in soft, loose waves, and she had been sparse with the makeup. There was just a touch of mascara and some shiny, rose-tinted gloss that made her lips look even more kissable and soft than usual.

"You look so good, that I wouldn't mind if the two of us just stayed right here." he said lowly, the words out of Soul's mouth before he had any time to think them through. He braced himself for the chop, idly wondering if she had a special book for the occasion. He was surprised when Maka just laughed and headed for the door.

"Somehow, I know that if we don't go to the party, then the party would come to us. We'd better go; it's going to take me while to walk there in these shoes."

No hitting? He was cool with that...Wait. Soul had basically just implied that he wanted to stay home and celebrate her birthday in a decidedly carnal nature and she didn't act phased by it in the least! Were things really going that well between them? If they were, maybe they were closer to a breakthrough in her memories than they knew.

Maka passed him and he turned to follow, but stopped like he'd been slammed into an invisible brick wall. If the front of the dress had been sexy, then the back grabbed his brain and hurled it into the gutter, making his eyes bug out and his tongue flop like a deranged cartoon character. Her hair danced teasingly over the bare expanse of smooth, creamy skin, plainly advertising the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. The only thing covered was Maka's ass and that was also just barely covered; the material sliding over it in a manner that made Soul want to reach out and squeeze. She might as well have stamped the words 'grope me' across the cheeks and he knew he would have to watch out for anyone trying to cop a feel at the party. Although, that wouldn't help much, since Soul suspected the worst offender might be himself...he searched for something to distract himself, finally recalling what he had planned to ask her earlier.

"Hey, have you thought any more about tryin' to resonate? I know you didn't wanna risk it, but..."

Soul held the door open for Maka as they stepped out into the hall.

"I've thought about it and I think we should try. We can do it when we get home tonight, if it isn't too late."

"That's fine with me. Didn't think you'd wanna stay out too late anyway, since we have school tomorrow."

Soul was busy locking the door, so he didn't see the perverted smile on Maka's face that would have rivaled Tsubaki's. Inside, she was rubbing her hands together and cackling with glee. Oh, they would be resonating...just not the way he was thinking.

XXXXX

The theme of the party seemed to be 'Loud', judging from the music; turned up high enough to make your ears bleed, the bass strong enough that the house seemed to throb. Soul stood on the sidelines, watching the gyrating mass of humanity in the middle of the room. Large crowds weren't his scene but since it was Maka's birthday, he had made the attempt to be social, suppressing the urge to slide out onto the nearest balcony. Instead, Soul had watched Maka open her gifts, ooh-ing and aah-ing over the contents, carefully packing them up to carry home. He even ate a piece of the cake that Patty had made, gamely choking down the chunks of what looked suspiciously like glitter. Soul had even, much to the surprise of those who knew him, allowed himself to be dragged out the dance floor. That was a mistake.

Gone were the days when his meister would shuffle awkwardly in his arms, content to follow his lead. Somewhere along the way, Maka had picked up some mad skills, and had bumped and grinded against him in ways that no one with a purely innocent mind could ever pull off. He had tried to keep a tight rein on himself, but that last dance had been nothing more than humping to music and Soul escaped to use up one of his precious bathroom visits. To make matters worse, his friends kept shooting him these weird, smug, knowing looks and Soul was beginning to feel paranoid. He scanned the room, looking for Black*Star, but the loud mouthed assassin was conspicuously absent, filling Soul with dread. He recalled the conversation they had had before Maka had lured him away to pleasantly molest him on the dance floor.

XXXXX

He had been leaning against a wall, wondering if they were going to be able to carry all of Maka's loot home, when Black*Star had sidled up to him.

"So. You and Maka seem pretty cozy tonight. And by cozy, I mean she doesn't look like she's about to rip your cajones off to hang from her rear view mirror like a pair of fuzzy dice. What's the story?"

Soul winced at the mental image.

"I dunno. Yesterday, she switched from Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jeckyl and I'm not complaining. She's even open to resonating, said we could give it a try when we got home."

Soul furrowed his brow in confusion at his friend's snicker.

"Resonate, huh? That's a new word for it, I guess. Gonna finally move in on her, huh? Want me to run home and grab my book?"

"Wha? No! Gah, what is it with you people and sex? Not hatin' me is a far cry from wanting to drag me into bed!"

"You sure about that? 'Cause with the way she's been eyein' your ass, you wouldn't even make it to the bed."

"Indeed," agreed Kid, causing Soul to start. He hadn't heard the Shinigami glide up on his other side.

"The looks Maka have been giving you are quite smoldering."

Black*Star snorted. "You can say that again. I swear, if she stared any harder, we'd have to dump a bucket of water over the scorch marks on your ass."

"Whatever. Maka was barely interested in that before the memory wipe, there's no way she's even thinking about anything like that now."

"You're sayin' that you'd refuse her if she put the moves on you tonight?" asked Black*Star with an odd persistency.

"She's not going to, so it's pointless to even think about. Besides, I said I wouldn't take advantage of her while this whole curse shit was goin' down. That hasn't changed."

"So, you're tellin' me that if she flat out said she wanted you to do her, memory loss or not, you wouldn't do it?" his voice dripped with skepticism.

"I...maybe...if I thought that she really knew what she was doing..." Soul muttered, ashamed to admit that he was that weak.

"You worry too much," Kid spoke up, "memories aside, Maka is Maka and is in full control of her faculties. She wouldn't do something like that unless she truly wanted to."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that," said Soul reluctantly.

"Dude! You can totally tap that with my blessing! Whoop, just remembered somethin' I needed to do! See 'ya later!"

And as Black*Star zipped off, Soul and Kid exchanged suspicious and uneasy glances.

XXXXX

About two hours later, Maka pulled him aside, asking if he was ready to go. She giggled at his emphatic 'yes', and they quickly made their way to the circle of their friends to say goodbye. They passed by Tsubaki several times, the worried weapon searching for her partner, whom she hadn't seen most off the night. Liz and Patty handed Maka a large tote bag filled with her presents, chuckling diabolically whenever they looked at Soul. He took the bag, shrugging off the Thompsons' weird behavior. They left with the party still going strong, stepping out of the mansion into the cool night air.

XXXXX

They walked down the street in silence, Soul glancing at her out of the corner of his eye when Maka took his hand, giving it a small squeeze. He smiled down at her.

"You have a good time?"

"I had a great time! A bunch of people showed up, and the food was..."

"Creative?" he supplied.

"Very! And I managed to get you to dance, which is about as likely as getting Kid to wear a shirt with seven buttons. That alone would have been worth it, even if it wasn't really your thing."

Soul shrugged.

"I didn't mind too much."

"Good. We should do it together more often."

He stumbled a bit at her word choice, squashing down the double meaning.

"You've gotten better. Maybe we can try it slow next time."

"Sounds nice. Sometimes, I like it nice and slow; other times, I like it hard and fast. Just depends on the mood."

….Really? Did she really just say that? Where was a brick wall when you needed something to smash your head against...?

"Hey, let's cut through the park! It'll be shorter that way."

Maka tugged on his hand and Soul allowed himself to be pulled along. The park was deserted at this time of night and it was relaxing to watch the fireflies flicker through the air. They were passing a large cluster of smooth, tiered rocks that they and their friends had sat on many times while hanging out during their free time, when Maka stopped.

"Soul, do you mind if we sit down? I wanted to talk to you for a minute."

He paused. It didn't sound like she had bad news, but he couldn't be sure. Seeing no way to put it off, he gave in.

"Sure. What's up?" he asked, situating himself on a rock that was shaped almost like a partially laid back recliner. Maka sat beside him on one that was slightly lower, making it where her head could rest easily on his shoulder. She rummaged around in the side pocket of the tote, pulling out two small, rectangular objects. She fiddled around with them until she was satisfied, placing them carefully a little away from them. Maka then cuddled into his side, and waited.

Soul was confused. She had set up what looked like an iPod and mini speaker, and was now all snuggled up under his arm. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was trying to create a mood.

"Maka, what-"

"Hush. Just listen."

He did as she asked. The speaker wasn't the best quality, so it took some time to make out what song was playing; but when he did, Soul's heart nearly thumped out of his chest. He told himself not to get his hopes up, that it was just a coincidence, but Maka shattered that thought like a brick through a pane of glass.

She had leaned up, wrapping her arms around his neck as she sang softly into his ear.

"I only pray you'll never leave me behind

Because good music can be so hard to find

I'll take your hand and hold it closer to mine

Thought love was dead, but now you're

Changing my mind..."

He gripped her by her upper arms, frantically searching her eyes for answers.

"You remembered something, didn't you? What is it?"

"Everything." she answered simply.

Soul couldn't believe it. Forty-eight hours ago, they had been on the verge of being permanently torn apart and now she was saying everything was all fine and dandy, singing flowers and rainbow shitting unicorns.

"Everything? Are you sure?"

She crawled onto his lap, one arm around his shoulders while Maka stroked his cheek with the opposite hand.

"I remember the first ride we ever took on the motorcycle. I remember that you like Barq's root beer, not Mug. I remember you used to sneak into the living room to watch early Saturday morning cartoons, thinking I didn't know,"

She continued on, as the grin on Soul's face stretched wider with every word.

"I remember finding out where my lotion kept disappearing to," he blushed furiously at this, but couldn't protest as her face came closer and closer to his, her voice dropping to a husky whisper, "I remember the night before our last battle; the things we said...the things we did. I remember how much I love you. I remember you, Soul."

He didn't know who closed that final gap between them but all Soul knew was that his lips were finally on hers again with his hands running up and down her exposed back, greedy for any contact with her skin. He kissed her gently, faintly tasting the fruity flavor of her lip gloss. It was strawberry, his favorite. Soul nibbled her lower lip, her hands tangling in his hair, deepening the kiss. He brought one hand up to stroke her cheek, her jaw.

"Almost thought I'd never get a chance to hold you like this again," he said tenderly.

Maka smiled at his words.

"But you didn't give up on me. You never do."

She kissed the corner of his mouth in thanks and he chuckled.

"Cool guys never give up. Didn't you know that?"

Soul became serious with his next thoughts.

"You really do remember everything? About that night? I keep thinking...if that phone hadn't rung, you and I, we might've...you know. I could've showed you just how much you mean to me..."

His flustered stuttering was adorable. Knowing what he was getting at and more than willing to pick up from where they had left off, Maka kissed him again. This time, thought, she brushed her tongue over his lips until he parted them, his tongue coming out to run sensuously against hers. She placed a leg on either side of his hips, rocking against him.

"I think it went something like this?"

"Yeah, ah! It was just like that...we didn't get any farther than this though."

He groaned as she sped up, moving in short, jerky motions over his dick. She grinned cheekily.

"I think we can do better this time, don't you?"

He nibbled up the column of her neck.

"Definitely. But not here. We need to get home. NOW."

"Mmm, yes...we should...leave." she panted, tilting her head to the side so Soul could have better access. His hands moved to her hips, guiding her movement.

"We should go. Right. Now." he growled into Maka's skin, punctuating his words with hard, upward thrusts. Her head lolled back as he licked the hollow of her throat; where he could feel the whimper she let out vibrate. Using his last shred of control, Soul gently removed her from his lap, standing to join her. They were breathless and flushed, eager to continue. Wordlessly, Maka shoved the iPod and speaker back into the bag and they set off at a brisk walk in the direction for home.

XXXXX

Soul unlocked the door to their apartment, fingers slightly shaky with anticipation. He could feel Maka gently pressed against him, her breasts brushing his arm. He finally managed to get the key to work, and they stepped inside, both anticipating what was to come. Suddenly, Maka gripped his wrist.

"Soul, did you leave the lights on?" she hissed.

"No, I thought you did."

"I hear something from further inside! Do you think someone broke in?"

"Maybe. Can you sense anyone?"

Maka closed her eyes in concentration, searching for any trace of another presence. Finding none, she opened her eyes.

"No one's here. But I still hear something."

They made their way cautiously down the hall, Soul taking the lead even if it was ridiculous; Maka had said there was no one there, and even if there had been, she was more than capable of making them rue the day they chose to mess with Maka Albarn. The noise seemed to be coming from his room, so Soul slowly, carefully opened the door. The two of them stared in queasy disbelief at the scene.

"I'm. Going. To MURDER him!" Soul growled.

Tropical Storm Black*Star had struck. Flowers of all shapes and sizes were everywhere, clods of dirt hanging from exposed roots. A tiger skin rug covered most of the floor, and Soul's soft, comfy T-shirt sheets had been replaced with black silk, along with matching cushions. Rose petals had been scattered on top, but the effect was ruined by the disco ball rotating on the ceiling. That, and the stripper pole. Yes, somehow that lunkhead had managed to install one right in the center of the room, creating an overall juxtaposition of romantic and sleazy tastelessness. And, like gravy on mashed potatoes, he had set up 'Birthday Sex' to play on endless loop on the iPod dock.

Soul turned at the muffled sounds behind him. Maka was leaning on the door jamb, hands covering her mouth, futilely trying to hold in her laughter. Her body was shaking and tears of mirth ran down her cheeks. Seeing his expression, composed of one part pissed off homicidal rage and two parts of pathetic, whimpering cockblockedness, sobered her. Slightly.

"This is what he must have meant when he said he had something to set up! Oh lord, Soul! Have you ever seen anything so...so...?"

"Breathtakingly tacky?"

"Yes!"

Soul stomped over to slump on his bed, plans for the night going up in smoke. There was no way Maka was going to do anything with him now, not in this sorry excuse for a porn set. He sat there dejectedly, not noticing that she had followed him till she sat down beside him, laying her hand on his.

"Soul? What's wrong?"

Soul waved his free hand at the room, answering in an exasperated voice.

"What's wrong? Look at this place! It's a freakin' wreck! He knew tonight was special, and he pulls this epic cockblock!"

"You know, it's only a cockblock if you let it become one. Sure, some of the elements are...a bit off putting, and I don't even want to know where he got those flowers, much less the other stuff, but I know in his own, twisted way he was just trying to do something nice. And..."

Maka blushed heavily as she trailed off, causing Soul to look at her.

"…..I'm not totally averse to trying out the sheets."

He nudged her arm, spirits lifting.

"How about the pole?"

She smacked his shoulder.

"No way! At least…..not until I have Blair give me a few pointers."

Soul gazed at her in awe.

"Seriously?"

She fidgeted around, embarrassed.

"I've heard it can be fun! And it's not like I'd be doing it in front of a bunch of people or anything, right?"

"Damn straight. Okay, so. The sheets and the pole can stay, but the flowers and that creepy ass rug have to go. Wait for a minute."

He stood and began to dump all of the flowers onto the rug, clumps of dirt falling to the floor. When Soul had finished, he rolled it up, staggered over to his window and shoved the mass outside to the sidewalk below. He then went into the bathroom to wash his hands and returning, he found that Maka had managed to figure out how to turn off the disco ball, replacing its light with his desk lamp, leaving the room in a soft glow. Soul went to turn off the music, but was stopped by her hand on his arm.

"Wait! You can go ahead and leave it on. After all, it is rather appropriate."

He snorted.

"About the only thing that is. Are you sure you still wanna do this? I mean, I wouldn't blame you-"

She cut him off with a kiss, silencing any protests he might make, her arms snaking around his neck as she rubbed herself against him. As their tongues danced together, the earlier mood from the park was restored, the state of the room being pushed to the back of their minds. Soul was the one to break the kiss, looking down at her devilishly.

"I think it's about time I got you out of those shoes, don't you?"

Maka's mouth went dry as she watched him lick his lips as he knelt before her, fingers tracing over the ribbons on one leg, slowly loosening the knot. She barely heard him whisper under his breath.

"I'm gonna enjoy this."

He leaned forward, turning his head to nip the back of her knee, fingers slowly peeling back the ribbons. As he uncrossed them from her leg, Soul followed their path, zigging and zagging with his lips, scattering kisses and small licks down Maka's calf. He had braced her foot on his thigh to give him better access and he could have looked up her skirt if he had so wished. Choosing instead to keep his focus on her luscious legs, he refrained, letting the suspense build. Soul removed the sandal from her foot, tossing it over his shoulder. He took his time to run his hands from her ankles up to her thighs, her warm skin under his fingers even softer than he had imagined. He followed the same pattern with her right leg, moving a tiny bit faster, roaming further up on her thigh, skimming under the hem of the skirt. He felt Maka's muscles tense and quiver, her breathing above him growing uneven.

Placing a last open mouthed kiss to the side of her knee, he stood. Soul brought his lips down on hers in another searing kiss, Maka's hands running over his chest and toying with the buttons. Breaking the kiss for air, she smirked at him.

"You know, I've got your number, now. All these years of acting like breasts were such a big deal, when really you're a closet leg man!"

"Busted. Yeah, your legs have been on my mind for a loooong time. But don't worry, I'm gonna pay equal attention to the sisters." he winked.

Maka snickered.

"Are you sure? I'd think that after the last few days, you would be burnt out on breasts."

"Don't remind me! It's given me nightmares where I'm being smothered by flesh-colored jello molds."

"You won't have that problem with mine. I guess that's the benefit of having a substandard chest." she joked, but Soul could hear the buried insecurity in her words and it brought to mind the tiny tits episode of last week.

Maka, not wanting to get caught up in comparing her breasts with the other girls, prepared to change the subject by kissing Soul, but his hand taking hold of her chin stopped her.

"Maka, I don't give a damn what size you are," he began seriously. "You haven't been tiny for a long time, but even if you hadn't grown at all, I wouldn't care."

He leaned his forehead against hers, making sure Maka's eyes were on his.

"Size and shape don't matter, as long as they're yours. They're the only ones that move me, the only ones that drive me crazy every time I see them. And it's not just your tits; it's all of you. Your soul…"

He whispered against her lips.

"…Your mind..."

Teeth scraped along her jaw.

"… And your body."

His mouth worked its way down to the juncture between her neck and shoulders, where Maka was sure she would have a mark later. Soul's words washed away years of insecurity, leaving her feeling loved and desired.

She herself hadn't been idle, nimble fingers working loose the buttons of his shirt, until it was hanging open. Tracing over the muscles of his chest and shoulders, Maka memorized the feel of him, committing his body to memory.

His mouth was doing funny things to her head, giving her a floaty, swimmy sensation. She didn't even register the fact that Soul had slowly turned her body, brushing her hair over her shoulder as he paid her shoulders the same attention he had to her legs. It wasn't until he had bent her forward so her body arched towards him, his teeth pricking along the line of her spine, that Maka was able to form coherent words.

"S-Soul! What are you doing?"

He bit down a little harder, soothing over the mark with his tongue.

"What am I doing? I'm tasting you. Because every inch of you is so. Fucking. Delicious." he purred in Maka's ear.

Soul's words made the heat that had been pooling in her stomach spread throughout her body, rubbing her thighs together for relief. Reaching the base of her spine, Soul lowered his hands to fondle and grope the firm mounds of her butt, eliciting a small squeak from his meister. He turned Maka around to face him again, his fingers flicking open the catch at the neck of her dress, leaving it where the smallest of movements would cause it to fall from her upper body. Shrugging off his shirt as he backed off the bed, Soul sat down, undoing the buckle of his belt and sliding it from the loops, kicking off his shoes. He focused on Maka, whose hands had automatically clutched the dress to her chest, her eyes cloudy and confused at the sudden loss of contact.

"Soul? What..."

"Take it off for me."

She blushed, the color reaching to the top of the dress. Any embarrassment Maka may have had felt fled when she saw how hungrily Soul was looking at her and the large bulge evident through his pants. Feeling powerful and in charge, she stood up and let the material she was holding drop, exposing Maka all the way to her hip bones. His reaction was gratifying, the groan he made while his hands gripped the edge of the bed, knuckles whitening. Bolder now, she undid the small zipper that was the only thing keeping the dress on, the dress finally falling to the floor where she kicked it to the side, leaving Maka standing in nothing but the scrap of underwear that Tsubaki had picked out for her. She was curious as to what Soul thought of it, and didn't have long to wait to find out.

"Holy shit," he said in awe, voice thick with emotion. It had been difficult to remove his gaze from her breasts, but he followed the movement of the dress lower and lower on her body, across the flat plane of her stomach to the slight swell of her hips. Soul hadn't been prepared for sexy lingerie, and the pair Maka was wearing made his mouth go dry. It was a wispy piece of gold, thin strings tying it ace high at the sides, the front dipping in a dangerously low keyhole. Suspended against the tantalizing circle of flesh was a tiny gold charm in the shape of a musical note, winking from the dim light reflected by the lamp. Panting hard, his chest rising and falling in rapid breaths, he reached out to grip Maka's waist, pulling her to stand between his legs. Soul was already painfully hard, and her next words, spoken in a voice that promised wicked delights only made it worse.

"You said I was delicious, Soul," she bent to lick the curve of his ear, "But there are still places you haven't tasted yet."

The position brought her chest right in front of his face, the swollen nipples that begged for attention scant inches from his mouth.

"You shouldn't play with me like that," he warned, his warm breath rushing over Maka's breasts.

"I'm not. I'm trying to get you to play with-Oh! ~"

The temptation had been too much and Soul had latched on to one of her breasts, sucking the nipple hard between his teeth, tongue running circles around the tip. His hand reached up to cup the other one, testing the weight of it, rolling and pinching the bud between his fingers. Maka braced her hands on his shoulders as he switched back and forth, the pleasurable sensations nearly consuming her mind, leaving her to wonder if it was possible to come just from having her breasts played with. Maka was willing to find out but Soul seemed to have other ideas.

Lips ghosting over the toned flesh of her stomach, he brought one of her legs up and set the foot on the edge of the bed, Soul's mouth hovering over her. He watched her with half lidded eyes as, with gazes locked, he deliberately ran his tongue over the pale skin not covered in the keyhole, the feel of the hard charm and his soft tongue being worked against Maka. He looked so sexy doing that and dear Death, did she just have a minigasm?

Deftly, he undid one side tie while using his teeth to undo the other, letting the cloth flutter to the floor. Her hips thrust forward in a silent plea for his touch, but he saw that Maka was having a hard time keeping her balance and Soul wanted to be able to work her over thoroughly without worrying about her falling. He lowered her leg to the floor as he stood, maneuvering her to lie down. Quickly, he shucked off his pants, boxers and socks, her eyes following his movements appreciatively. Soul crawled into bed to stretch out alongside her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

Feeling him hot and heavy on her thigh, Maka reached down to grip him with her small hand pumping him in smooth strokes. He jerked into her palm, groaning her name as he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her away before she could finish Soul off.

"Maka! Hungh...Don't...don't do that..."

"Why not? She asked curiously. "I had planned on doing that. I...I wanted to make you feel good tonight, Soul. It's not fair if I get to have all the attention."

Bringing the hand he was still holding up to his mouth, Soul nipped at her fingers, kissing over the fluttering pulse point in her wrist.

"But you're the birthday girl." he crooned, rolling Maka from her side onto her back, sliding down the bed to rest between her thighs, spreading her legs to reveal her folds, wet and glistening with her juices. He settled himself comfortably, mouth drawn to her thighs. He couldn't get enough of those legs, and Soul ran his tongue over the quivering muscles, laughing to himself as he sang along to the song under his breath.

The dirty lyrics hadn't bothered her much before, but hearing them in Soul's deep, rumbling voice, Maka became even wetter as her arousal spiked. He was so close to where she needed him the most...was he really going to...

"Soul? What are you doing?"

He leered up at her, the expression making her weak with want.

"I'm done tasting you," Soul growled, "Now it's time to eat."

Not waiting for a response, he dragged his tongue over her dripping slit, exploring her moist folds. He used his hands to keep Maka spread open, exerting enough pressure to hold down her wildly bucking hips. Her head slammed back into the pillow as he used that magical pink appendage to alternately dip into her channel and tease her clit. Sparks of electricity flowed through Maka's body, and when he added his fingers to the mix, she nearly came. Carefully stretching her, he thrust his fingers deep, mimicking what he would later do with his cock.

The feel of her tight, wet heat clenching around Soul's fingers was too much, his dick was ready to wish her a very happy birthday, and he pulled away, causing Maka to sob his name in frustration. She had been so close! What was he thinking? She opened her mouth to ask him that very question, when he pulled his body over hers, leaning his weight on his hands which were placed on either side of her. Maka's irritation melted at the expression of love and longing on his face, and she raised a hand to run her fingers through the thick chunks of his bangs, pushing them out of Soul's face.

"Maka, I need you. Now. Are you sure you're ready for this? For me?"

Soul's shaky admission coupled with his tender concern did strange, wonderful things to her body. The smile she gave him was the sweetest he had ever seen, as her hand reached between them to guide his tip to her entrance. Soul pressed forward experimentally, both of them moaning at the sensation, her arms snaking around his neck to bring him into a kiss. He kept their mouths joined as he pushed himself in deeper, careful not to hurt Maka.

The pain wasn't as bad as she had expected, more of a dull ache as he filled her completely and as Maka became used to it, she began to grind against him, urging him on. Once he was sure she was comfortable, Soul picked up the pace, bringing one of her legs up to rest on his shoulder as his thrusts became more forceful. Her head tossed from side to side as Maka begged for more, harder, and he complied, his hips snapping into hers with abandon. He must have hit a sensitive spot, for she suddenly arched forward, screaming his name as she came. Her sheath clenched down on Soul, hard, and his orgasm slammed through his body with the force of a freight train.

Catching his breath, Soul propped himself up on his arm, watching as she came down from her high, feeling himself stir again at the sight of Maka's body relaxed in release, the necklace he had given her resting against her the skin that shimmered lightly from sweat.

Her eyes came back into focus and Maka turned her head to look at Soul.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked with a slightly husky voice.

"Just thinking how amazing it is to be here like this with you, after coming so close to losing you." he answered honestly.

"For a while there, I thought you were going to leave me and I wouldn't even be your weapon anymore." he stroked her cheek with his thumb, continuing, "Then, you suddenly get your memories back, and here I am, happier than I've ever been before. We still don't even have a clue how your memories returned, but I guess it doesn't really matter."

Maka laughed, one of her hands covering his.

"Actually, I do know. I had a talk with Blair yesterday to make sure she was working tonight, and when she found out my memories were back, she told me what she thought must have happened."

"So, what was it? Another side effect of having a Grigori soul?"

"Nope. It was all you."

Soul cocked his head in confusion.

"Huh?"

Maka lifted the necklace to dangle the charms in front of his face.

"Blair said that sometimes, items take on the emotions of their owners, and things given as a gift with a special meaning are even more powerful. This necklace represented your feelings for me and the curse threatened that, causing it to act as a ward. It couldn't totally stop the effects, but it could limit them enough to give me a chance to reverse it."

Soul was stunned, and a little scared. If he had waited to give the necklace to her on her birthday like he had been planning... He crushed her to him, needing to feel her to erase the sick feeling in his stomach.

"I love you Maka. I never want you to forget that again."

She hugged him back tightly.

"Never." she agreed, kissing him on the jaw, then yawning widely. Seeing how tired she was, Soul turned them on their sides, spooning behind her like the night he had played the keyboard for her. She sighed in contentment, and he couldn't resist asking Maka.

"So, can I keep you warm this time without you threatening to run to Black*Star with malicious lies about me?"

She snorted, feeling his lips spread in a smile against the back of her neck.

"There is nothing malicious about pink kitty blankies."

"They're totally uncool! Blue puppies, maybe, but pink cats are definitely out of the question."

"Funny, you didn't have a problem with my pink pussy earlier..."

"…..Damn it! Don't say stuff like that unless you wanna go for another round!" he whined.

"Soul."

"What?"

"Sleeeeeep."

Muttering darkly about still contrary meister/girlfriends, Soul obeyed Maka, curling his body protectively around her as she slept.

XXXXX

_**EIGHT MONTHS LATER**_

Another party, this one his, and once again, Soul was on the sidelines with Black*Star with Kid off dealing with an out-of-hand Goat that someone had brought to the party. It was loud again and Patty had made another cake, this one with bits of confetti replacing the glitter. Black*Star had redeemed himself, finally proving he had at least a glimmer of romance when he had seen Soul and Maka head for the dance floor. He had scrambled to the DJ booth and somehow managed to get the guy to put on Stereo Hearts for them to dance to. Afterwards, Maka had been pulled off by the other girls, leaving him to watch from across the room.

"You know, 'Star, we're pretty damn lucky. We got us some amazing women."

Black*Star's eyes followed his gaze, where Tsubaki stood in a dark blue sheath that had silver threads glistening in the light. She was laughing with Maka, who was wearing a high necked, sleeveless silk dress that was ankle length. It was a shimmery cream colored little number that would have been conservative except for the two scoops in the sides that left her waist and hip bones bare. Her hair was up in a half bun, with loose strands hanging down to frame her face.

"Yep. I like my women like I like my tea; sweet, hot and strong, and Tsubaki's all of that and more. Hey, we got us a new book that we're tryin' out tonight. Sure you don't wanna give our old one a shot?" he asked, laughingly nudging Soul in the ribs.

Soul shifted uncomfortably, blushing.

"I keep telling you, we don't need any damn book." he muttered.

And they didn't. One of the many benefits of dating a nerd. Hell, thanks to Maka, they had a whole mini library on the subject. Soul's eyes had glazed over at the thought, and he hadn't noticed that the subject of his less-than-pure thoughts was standing right in front of him, snapping her fingers in his face.

"Ah! Oh, hey Maka. I was kinda lost in thought for a minute." he explained.

She raised an eyebrow, staring at him suspiciously.

"Suuuure. Come with me, I need to show you something."

XXXXX

Taking Soul by the hand, Maka had led him away from the throng of partygoers, pulling him into a small alcove hidden by a pillar. Leaning forward to kiss the nape of her neck, he chuckled.

"You know, if you had wanted to get me alone, you just had to ask. I would've preferred a party for two anyway."

Maka turned to face him, pushing Soul back a step. She shifted from foot to foot, fidgeting nervously with the small clutch she was carrying. This caused Soul's brow to furrow in confusion. Maka was never this uneasy when it was just the two of them and he hadn't thought she even owned a purse, much less carried one. She seemed to gather her thoughts and after taking a deep breath, Maka finally spoke.

"I was going to wait, but I wanted to give you your present now."

His hands slid along her waist as he leered down at her.

"Right here? Kinky. I'm all for it!"

She shoved his hands away, pouting lightly.

"Not that present! Be serious for just a minute, Soul!"

He slouched back against the wall, his hands stuffed in the pocket of his dress pants. Watching Maka dig through her clutch, he realized that she was both nervous and excited, eyes sparkling as color heightened her cheeks. The snarky comment died on his tongue and his gaze softened. Whatever it was, she had obviously put forth a lot of thought and effort and for that reason alone, Soul already loved it.

"Ah ha!" she triumphantly pulled out a flat, square box. With an endearing look of shy eagerness, she handed it to him.

He took the box, curiously lifting the lid. There was just enough light from the chandelier to cast a soft glow of the contents. Soul's breath caught in his throat, rendering him speechless. There, on a familiar looking cushion of black silk, was a necklace. Somehow, Maka must have tracked down the same jeweler who had crafted hers, for the work was similar.

On a short, black leather cord with a silver hook and eye style clasp, were two charms. One was in the shape of a book, made from a matte black metal inlaid with a silver skull. Instead of the filigreed spacer beads like Maka's, his were in the shape of tiny skulls, giving the piece a cool, badass vibe. It appeared to have a hinge and opening it, Soul could just make out enough of the delicate inscription to recognize the quote about sound souls. The other charm was a brilliant blue sapphire polished into a smooth sphere, with two wings protruding from the sides, marking it as a Grigori soul.

Soul swallowed thickly. He was so elated; he felt as if he were floating in a puddle of ooey, gooey sappiness and Soul fought for words to express himself in a way that wouldn't make him sound like an escapee from one of the cheesier shoujo manga's. Maka seemed to take his silence the wrong way, and began babbling.

"I, uh, wanted to get you something special, and I couldn't think of anything for a long time, but then I was like, hey, this necklace you gave me is really special to me, so I decided to get you one that sort of matched, and I know it's not original and you don't have to wear it if you don't wa-"

She was silenced by the fingers of Soul's left hand on her jaw tilting her head so he could bring his lips down on hers. Her body relaxed as she melted into the kiss, feeling the emotions that he couldn't convey in words in that heartfelt gesture. Soul stroked her cheek gently as the kiss ended and Maka was happy to note that he was wearing one of his rare open smiles, his eyes shining tenderly in a way that they only did when he looked at her. He rested his forehead on hers.

"Have I told you lately that you're the coolest girlfriend ever?"

Maka felt a wide, silly grin stretching across her face.

"No, but I'll remember that later when you're complaining about what a nerd I am. So, you really like it?"

Soul carefully handed her the necklace and turned away. He looked over his shoulder and fluttered his eyelashes at her in an exaggerated manner, speaking in a breathy falsetto.

"Put it on for me?"

She smacked his arm with a glare, but did as he asked anyway.

"I sounded nothing like that." she mumbled, adjusting the necklace to hang straight. He turned to face her, letting her see how it looked on him.

"So, does it add to my devastating charm and utter coolness?"

"I wouldn't say that. More like it looks so good it detracts from what an ass you are." she said playfully.

He placed his hands on the exposed circles of her hips, grinning goofily as he rubbed noses with her.

"Don't be hatin', you love my ass and you know it."

"Whatever your ego needs to believe. Now let's go, we should get back to the others."

He kissed her, sucking on her lower lip.

"Aw, come on. Can't we leave early? I'm ready for the after party to start. You are wearing my favorite pair of panties since it's my birthday, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope. Not tonight."

"A new pair?"

Soul loved taking her new underwear for a test run.

"Sorry, couldn't do that either."

Maka grinned, watching his face fall. He didn't understand it; she wasn't on the rag, so she didn't need to wear granny panties. Why wasn't his present properly wrapped? Giggling, Maka gave Soul an explanation.

"Silly Soul, you've been drooling over the cutouts on this dress all night. You should know by now that there's no way I could wear panties with this at all!"

It had been a wonderful party, Maka recalled later. The only downfall was the resulting deluge of blood from Soul's nose had absolutely ruined her pretty dress.

**Here we are, the final chapter! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, I hope you enjoy (review) the end! I should have a new, complete story up in two to three weeks, so keep an eye out for that. **

**As always, I own nothing, except for the plot. And the smut. Editing done by GlitterGoat.**


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